SHAMED pop star Gary Glitter was due back in Britain this morning, ending a three-day odyssey that began when he was released from a Vietnamese prison after serving time for molesting children.
The 64-year-old convicted paedophile had been refusing to return to the UK following his release on Tuesday.
But having failed to gain entry to Thailand on two occasions and Hong Kong once, Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, agreed to fly to
London Heathrow last night. His flight was due to land at Heathrow at 7:15am, where he could expect to be greeted by the police and a hostile press pack.
Officers will serve Glitter an order which will effectively put him on the sex offenders register for a second time.
A Foreign Office spokesman said last night: "We can confirm that Mr Gadd has left Bangkok and is heading to the UK."
Glitter had been at the centre of an international game of ping-pong as country after country refused him leave to enter. The farcical series of events began on Tuesday when he left a Vietnamese prison after serving almost three years for abusing two girls aged ten and 11.
He was ordered out of Vietnam and travelled to Bangkok, where he was expected to board a flight to London Heathrow under the terms of his release.
But on his arrival in the Thai capital, Glitter reportedly feigned heart trouble.
He was denied entry to Thailand and warned he would be taken to a detention centre if he continued to refuse to leave.
After spending about 20 hours in the transit lounge at Bangkok airport, Glitter boarded a flight to Hong Kong on Wednesday in the hope that he would be accepted there.
But the Chinese authorities refused him entry and he was put back on a Thai Airways flight to Bangkok yesterday. On his arrival, he was told by Thai authorities that he was not welcome.
Colonel Worawat Amornwiwat of the Thai police said: "Thailand is not allowing him to enter the country and Hong Kong is turning him back, so there is no choice for him now."
With a growing list of countries stating that they would deny him entry, Glitter agreed to return to the UK.
The former glam rock singer was convicted of downloading child pornography in the UK in 1999 after a computer shop found the images on his laptop and he served two months of a four-month sentence.
He left the country and moved to Spain and Cuba before travelling to south-east Asia, where he escaped detection until he was tracked down by reporters.
He was kicked out of Cambodia after facing allegations of sex crimes and moved to the Vietnamese resort of Vung Tau.
The two girls at first made allegations of rape, which carries a death sentence, but were reportedly paid off with £1,175.
Glitter was arrested trying to leave the country and stood trial, claiming he was teaching the girls English. He was convicted and sentenced to three years in March 2006.
Zoe Hilton, policy adviser at the NSPCC, said: "This clearly illustrates why it's so important to have binding agreements between countries which will prevent sex offenders hopping from one place to another and possibly going underground where they will pose a serious threat to children.
"Offenders like Glitter can and should be chaperoned while being deported back to the UK where they can be properly monitored.
"This case is important because it highlights how easy it is for UK offenders to move around freely when they are overseas."
Disgraced star will join list of shameGARY Glitter will have to sign the sex offenders register on his return to the UK.
What is the sex offenders register?The register contains the name, address, date of birth and national insurance number of anyone convicted or cautioned for sexual offences against children or adults. In 2006-7 there were 30,416 registered sex offenders in the UK.
What does it oblige sex offenders to do?Offenders can be served orders barring them from areas popular with children. They are also required to inform officers of any plans to travel abroad.
And if they fail to do so?Failure to comply is punishable by up to five years' imprisonment.
How long does someone stay on the register?It depends how serious the crime was and the level of threat the individual poses. Sex offenders given a jail term of 30 months must remain on the list indefinitely, many for the rest of their lives.
Who gets to see the details on the list?Information is shared by police forces throughout the UK via a central database.
