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Gary Glitter gives pursuers the slip

WHEN THAI Airways flight TG910 touched down at 7.09am, Glitter was not met by friends or relatives. Instead, his welcoming committee comprised eight London Metropolitan police officers who escorted him from the plane ahead of the other passengers and whisked him away from a frustrated gaggle of reporters, photographers and television crews.

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It was an abrupt climax to a bizarre week which has seen the peripatetic Gadd shunted from Thailand to Hong Kong and back to Thailand again as he searched for a far-eastern hiding hole after serving almost three years in a Vietnamese prison for committing obscene acts with two young girls.

By 9am, with the disgraced rocker still nowhere to be seen, the press pack had decamped to the rainswept surroundings of Uxbridge magistrates court, where, rumour had it, he would appear to find out whether he would be put on the sex offenders' register for the rest of his life. Once again, the elusive Gadd failed to materialise, apparently preferring to stay in an immigration office at Terminal 3.

His lawyer, David Corker, told the court that his client had been wrongly convicted in Vietnam and questioned the conviction's legality under British law.

"This was a conviction obtained in the most appalling of circumstances," he said. "My client feels it was an unfair trial and a travesty of justice. We need to inquire whether this conviction should be recognised by this court."

The Vietnamese justice system, he added, was "far, far below what is acceptable in western European standards." However, Rajeev Shetty, counsel for the Metropolitan police, said the case was clear. "The fact remains that Gadd was aware what the police were intending to do at least three or four days ago.

"Gadd's situation is clear. Gadd has been convicted of a relevant offence and the fact of that conviction cannot possibly be challenged."

District judge David Simpson rejected the request for an interim order, saying the conviction was not disputed and the conditions for an indefinite notification order had been met. Imposing the indefinite order, which requires Gadd to sign the Sex Offenders' register within three days, he added: "Gadd has demonstrated his desire to avoid the jurisdiction of this court."

Under the terms of the order, Gadd will have to tell police where he plans to live and inform them of any travel plans. He will have 21 days to appeal.

Speaking outside the court, Corker said his client was happy to be back in Britain and insisted that Gadd's days in international limbo, including the abortive trip to Hong Kong and the 20 hours he spent in the transit lounge of Bangkok airport, had not been wasted. "It enabled Gadd and others to put into practice a plan for his proper and safe arrival," he said. "Gadd is not a well man, he needs medical attention and is also, unsurprisingly, concerned about his safety and these past few days have enabled the Metropolitan Police and I, on his behalf, to put into place a proper procedure for his protection and his well-being."