Shamed British rock star Gary Glitter may soon be taking his appeal to remain living

in Cambodia to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court.

Rumours began flying yesterday, June 3, that the hearing was due next week, but the

judge on the case says he has not yet set the date.

Glitter (real name Paul Gadd, aged 60) is appealing against a deportation order initiated

by the Minister of Women's Affairs, Mu Sochua, to leave Cambodia. He was deported

in December 2002 but has re-entered the country and has been living in a three-storey

home overlooking the Prek Ho river in Kandal, 12 km south of Phnom Penh.

Glitter claims he was wrongly deported because he had never committed a crime here.

He was jailed in Britain in 1999 for four months for being in possession of 4,000

child porn images. Two months into his four month sentence he was freed from jail.

Phnom Penh Municipal Court Judge Tan Senarong said yesterday that Gary Glitter came

into Cambodia about one year ago, and six months later the Ministry of Women's Affairs

informed the Ministry of Interior [National Police] that Glitter had been convicted

of a pedophilia offence in Britain and should be deported.

Senarong told the Post last night that Glitter had not committed any crime in Cambodia

and continued to live here.

He said the Ministry of Women's Affairs filed a complaint to the Ministry of Interior

to have him deported back to Britain. Glitter then filed a counter-complaint to the

court against the Ministry of Women's Affairs saying that he had committed no offence

and therefore could not be deported.

The judge said he didn't know when the case would be heard. He would hear the case

himself and said he did not want to be put under pressure by anyone to make a decision

on the date for the hearing.

Mu Sochua said last night she was aware that Glitter was trying to get her ministry

into court but she was unaware when the case would be heard.