Gary Glitter trial date revealed

Gary Glitter has been in a Vietnamese prison since November

The trial of ex-rock star Gary Glitter will take place on 2 March, when he will face charges of committing obscene acts with two girls, say officials.

Glitter - real name Paul Gadd - could face up to seven years in jail if found guilty of the offences in Vietnam.

The two-day trial will be held behind closed doors because it involves minors, said judge Hoang Thanh Tung.

The obscene acts were allegedly committed against two girls aged 12 and 13 at the 61-year-old's Vung Tau home.

He is alleged to have fondled and kissed the girls as well as engaged in other physical acts.

Attempt to flee

The court will decide at a later date whether photographers and cameramen are to be allowed to enter the courtroom during the reading of the verdict, the judge said.

The former glam rocker has been in police custody at a jail near Vung Tau since 19 November when he was arrested in Ho Chi Minh City about to board a flight out of the country.

During the criminal investigation, police had considered whether to charge him with child rape, which carries a maximum penalty of death, but said prosecutors did not find sufficient evidence.

In December, Glitter's lawyer made compensatory payments to the families of the girls, who have appealed to the courts for clemency for Glitter.

Glitter was convicted of possessing child porn in Britain in 1999 and served half of a four-month jail sentence.

He later went to Cambodia, which permanently expelled him in 2002.