A UK citizen, who served four years in prison in his home country for convincing young girls to send him sexually graphic photos and trying to lure them into sexual encounters, left Vietnam after a month-long stay that angered former victims.
While there is no evidence that 41-year-old Christopher John Trinnaman committed any crimes while in Vietnam, his ability to travel to Vietnam legally has caused outrage among past victims. He arrived on April 9 on a visa granted to foreigners working for local enterprises, according to Tuoi Tre.
A spokesperson of the Immigration Department under Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security said: "At present, there is no information about Christopher John Trinnaman’s violations of Vietnam’s entry and exit regulations or actions that might be inappropriate to or violate Vietnam’s law when he was in Vietnam.” The department also confirmed that he left the country on May 3.
According to Dang Hoa Nam, director of the Child Affairs Department of Vietnam, while it's not illegal for people with criminal records or past convictions to enter the country, they cannot hold jobs that involve interacting with children.
Trinnaman is a trained trombone player and in Vietnam worked for Hanoi-based Sun Symphony Orchestra, often playing for large crowds at the Vietnamese National Academy of Music, reports UK tabloid Mirror. Sun Symphony Orchestra claims he quit abruptly on April 23 for personal reasons and that they had no knowledge of his criminal past.
While pledging to continue working with foreign governments to identify the arrival of dangerous visitors with criminal histories, Vietnam officials explained that once the offenders have served their time they are legally permitted to enter and move around freely. Moreover, with the number of tourists coming every year, it's difficult to become aware of such persons arriving.
The incident calls to mind several other recent instances of foreign predators coming to Vietnam and sexually preying on Vietnamese children, such as Gary Glitter, Roman Zmajkovic and Vadim Scott Benderman.
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