Glitter on suicide watch after payments

Shamed former popstar Gary Glitter has been put on suicide watch after Vietnamese police officials warned him his attempts to pay off alleged child sex abuse victims would not aid his case.

The 61-year-old, real name Paul Francis Gadd, paid $2,000 (€1,600) for the legal "co-operation" of the families of two Vietnamese girls he stands accused of sexually abusing, according to his lawyer Le Thanh Kinh.

But detectives have warned Glitter he will still face justice, despite the written request of families of the 11 and 12-year-old girls to local authorities asking for charges of child rape against Glitter to be dropped, which they were on December 26.

Glitter is still thought to be charged with child molestation and faces 12 years in prison if found guilty.

The police chief leading the investigation says: "There's no way he can buy out of this."