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LONDON, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Gary Glitter, a British rock singer who spent three years in a Vietnamese jail for child sex abuse offences, returned to Britain on Friday after failing to find sanctuary in Asia.
Glitter, famous in the 1970s and 80s with songs such as "Hello, Hello, I'm back Again" and "I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am)", arrived at Heathrow airport after an overnight flight on Thai Airways from Bangkok.
He was met by police who were expected to have him sign an order putting him on the sex offenders' register, an official list of convicted paedophiles kept by the authorities.
Glitter, 64, was released from jail in Vietnam on Tuesday after serving almost all his three-year sentence. He was then flown to Bangkok for a connecting flight to London, but failed to board the flight saying he had ear and heart problems.
He wandered Bangkok airport for nearly 24 hours despite being declared persona non grata in Thailand. He then flew to Hong Kong but was rejected by Chinese authorities. After returning to Bangkok, he was put on the flight to London.
British media have speculated the singer, whose real name is Paul Gadd, tried to avoid returning for fear of the negative reception he would receive. Since his release, Glitter's every move has been tracked by British tabloid photographers.
Snapshots have shown a pale, drawn figure sporting a long white goatee beard, his face partially hidden by a baseball cap, and a chequered scarf loosely drawn around his neck.
Despite his once-huge fame in Britain, where he had more than 25 hit singles, Glitter fell completely from favour after he was convicted in Britain in 1999 of downloading thousands of images of child pornography onto his personal computer.
He later left the country and moved to Cambodia, staying for several years before being blacklisted, again on sex allegations. He moved to Vietnam, where he was arrested in 2005 and charged with the sexual abuse of two young girls.
He pleaded not guilty but was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison in March 2006.
While Glitter has served time for his crimes, Britain's media have not let up in criticism.
Ahead of his return, the tabloid Sun newspaper told how the "pervert pop star" was coming back, and the Mirror printed a headline saying "Warning: This vile man lands back in Britain today" next to a picture of a grinning Glitter.
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