VUNG TAU, Vietnam, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- Former British glam rocker Gary Glitter will be charged in Vietnam with committing lewd acts against children instead of the more serious child rape.
Glitter's attorney said police are dropping the child rape charge -- a possible death penalty offense in Vietnam -- for lack of evidence, the BBC reported Monday.
Instead he will be charged with committing lewd acts with children, which carries a maximum penalty of 12 years in jail, attorney Le Thanh Kinh said.
Glitter, 61, is accused molesting young girls at his home in Vung Tau.
Prosecutors have yet to announce formal charges and police were unavailable to comment. Glitter can be held for up to a year before charges are filed.
The musician who created the sports anthem "Rock and Roll Parts 1 and 2" was arrested at the Ho Chi Minh City airport Nov. 19.
Glitter's real name is Paul Francis Gadd and he served two months in jail in his home country for child porn charges in 1999.
