Glitter banned from travelling

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Convicted paedophile Gary Glitter has been banned from travelling to France and Spain under an order granted by magistrates, it emerged today.

Kent Police were granted the order at Ashford Magistrates' Court last Thursday.

Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, did not attend the hearing but was represented by Corker Binning Solicitors.

A Court Service spokesman said: "On Thursday, September 25 at Ashford Magistrates' Court, Kent Police applied for an application to prevent foreign travel to France and Spain until March 25 by Mr Paul Gadd.

"Paul Gadd did not attend in person but was represented by Corker Binning Solicitors."

Kent Police said they would not discuss individual cases or the possible whereabouts of Glitter in the county.

A Kent Police spokeswoman said: "Kent Police will do everything necessary to protect children in this country, or abroad.

"From our point of view, it is easier to monitor someone who remains in the UK because we have comprehensive systems in place to manage any potential risks more effectively.

"Protecting the residents of Kent is the paramount concern of Kent Police and we work closely to monitor the behaviour of registered sex offenders in the county to minimise any risk to the public that may exist."

She added: "However, we will not discuss whether or not a named person is on the sex offenders register in Kent, or the circumstances of individual cases.

"We will not discuss any details about named registered sex offenders, which extends to confirming or denying speculation about where they may live."

Glitter, 64, has laid low in the UK since he was ejected from south-east Asia at the end of his prison term last month.

He arrived in Britain in late August after a four-day tour of Asia in an apparent bid to avoid returning to Britain following his release from a Vietnamese jail.

When he was freed after serving two years and nine months of a three-year sentence for sex crimes involving girls aged 10 and 11, Glitter flew to Bangkok where he was due to board a flight to London.

Saying he felt ill, Glitter refused, but Thai authorities would not allow him through passport control and he eventually flew to Hong Kong.

Chinese authorities also refused him entry and he flew back to Bangkok where Thai police and immigration officials insisted he return to Britain.

He eventually arrived at Heathrow's Terminal 3 on August 22 and stayed there while his solicitor David Corker went to Uxbridge Magistrates Court, west London, as Scotland Yard successfully applied for an order requiring him to register as a sex offender.

Being on the register does not prevent Glitter from travelling abroad, but under regulations he must inform police if he plans to be away for more than three days.

Breaching the rules can mean a prison sentence of up to five years.

In 1999, he was jailed in Britain for possessing child porn images on his computer.