Mike Tyson banned from entering the UK

Dec. 10 (UPI) -- Former boxing heavyweight world champ Mike Tyson has been banned from entering the United Kingdom because he is also a convicted rapist.

Tyson was supposed to make appearances in London to promote his new autobiography, Undisputed Truth, but it appears that the U.K. leg of the promotional tour has been cancelled. New immigration rules adopted last year prohibit anyone with a conviction resulting in a jail sentence of more than four years entering the U.K.

Tyson, 47, served three of the six years he was sentenced to jail after being convicted of raping a teenage girl in the 1990s. He also has convictions for assault, cocaine possession and driving under the influence. It’s unclear if the infamous biting of opponent Evander Holyfield's ear had anything to do with the decision.

“There was a change in the UK immigration law in December 2012 of which we were unaware,” said a spokesman for HarperCollins. “For this reason Mike had to change location to Paris to salvage his press obligations for the UK.”

Tyson was hoping to bring his one-man Broadway show to Britain in March but that may no longer happen.

Home Office spokesperson stated:

“We would not comment on the details of an individual case. We reserve the right to refuse entry to the UK to anyone who is convicted of serious criminal offences. In December 2012 we toughened up the rules on entering the UK, replacing the previous discretionary approach with a clearer, stronger framework including mandatory refusals based on the length of, and time since, sentence.”

Here’s Iron Mike discussing his new book with Arsenio Hall:

[The Independent]