Glitter may be eligible for prison release

HANOI, Vietnam, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- Disgraced rocker Gary Glitter, jailed in Vietnam for sexually molesting two young girls, could be released soon, his lawyer said.

Glitter's name is on a list of prisoners who could have their sentences reduced under a Vietnamese custom, the Daily Mail said. The 62-year-old glam rocker was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison during a one-day trial in March 2006.

Vietnam authorizes amnesty for prisoners on major national holidays. Tet -- the Lunar New Year, which is Vietnam's most important holiday -- occurs in two weeks.

"My client is on the list for Tet amnesty consideration and I expect to hear the final decision in a few days," said Glitter's lawyer, Le Thanh Kinh. "Glitter is an old man, and he is not in good health. And he has paid compensation to the victims as required by the court."

Glitter, whose real name is Paul Francis Gadd, denied he molested the girls while living in a villa in the town of Vung Tau. He was arrested at the airport in Ho Chi Minh City in November 2005 while trying to leave the country.