The Null Device

Gary Glitter is not a rapist

This just in: Gary Glitter is not a child rapist. Well, not as far as Vietnamese authorities know, at least.

The former glam rocker still faces charges of lewd acts with children, and a possible 12 years in a Vietnamese prison, though has escaped the death penalty (would that have made him the first celebrity sentenced to death, whose fame preceded the issue which caused their downfall?)

There are 4 comments on "Gary Glitter is not a rapist":

Posted by: Don Muraco http://www.godhatesamerica.com Sun Jan 1 02:35:25 2006

Aristotle - Charles II - Louis XVI - Joan of Ark etc.

In modern times maybe Charles Manson (who was sentenced to death but then reprieved by the US Supreme Court). He was a minor celebrity in California hippy circles. Similar with Ira Einhorn although I'm not sure if he was sentenced to death (I think he was sentenced in absentia however). And Shoko Asahara in Japan has a death sentence hanging over him at the moment. Note that none of the 3 above have actually been executed yet - that old criminal adage from the USA 'You can't hang a million dollars' is probably the reason.

Posted by: acb http://dev.null.org/ Sun Jan 1 03:20:31 2006

Though Manson wasn't really known for anything other than his cult and crime spree. (His failed attempt to join the Monkees didn't become commonly known, if it is that, until after he had achieved notoriety from his crimes.)

And Charles II, Louis XVI and Joan of Arc were executed for the careers that made them famous, whereas Glitter's alleged child molestation has no obvious connection to his glam-rock career.

Posted by: Don Muraco http://www.godhatessweden.com Tue Jan 3 12:54:55 2006

Charles and Louis were both executed nominally for planning to invade their respective countries with foreign troops. Asahara definately qualifies IMO, as he was known as a kook cult leader long before the sarin gassings in Tokyo which, along with a few murders of Aum members, got him the death sentence.

Posted by: acb http://dev.null.org/ Tue Jan 3 13:29:51 2006

The key word is nominally.

And Asahara's killing spree comes directly from his beliefs as a cult leader, in a way that Gary Glitter's alleged sex offences don't come from his glam-rock career.