Former boxer and convicted rapist Mike Tyson has cancelled a number of book tour stops in Britain, after learning that the country has barred him from entering. Tyson, who was convicted of rape in 1992, has been on an international tour promoting his autobiography, Undisputed Truth, and had stops scheduled for London. But border control changes made last year mean that anyone who has been sentenced to more than four year in prison is barred from entering the country, the Guardian reports. Tyson served three years of a six-year sentence.
“I was greatly disappointed when I learned of United Kingdom’s immigration law changes that went into effect December 2012,” Tyson said in a statement. “I have been coming to the U.K. consistently in the past decade so this change is disheartening since it affects my current entry standing. I apologize to my fans that were inconvenienced, however, please know I am currently working diligently with the proper authorities to regain access next year for my U.K. tour.”
Tyson is also scheduled to visit Britain in March 2014 for his Spike Lee-directed one-man Broadway show. The show is due to run for eight nights in London, Glasgow and Manchester. A Tyson spokesperson, Steve Guest, told the Guardian, that the March visit would still go ahead, saying, “it is something we need to work out with immigration people and then everything will be fine.”
[Guardian]