Mike Tyson barred from entering New Zealand
The New Zealand government changed its stance and blocked former heavyweight boxing champion and convicted rapist Mike Tyson from entering the country, the French wire service Agence France-Presse reported
Tyson had originally been granted a visa to visit New Zealand in November for a charity event, even though Prime Minister John Key had voiced his opposition.
However, Associate Immigration Minister Kate Wilkinson told AFP on Wednesday (Tuesday in the United States) that the visa has been cancelled after the show sponsor, the Life Education Trust, said it "no longer wants to have any involvement" with Tyson's visit.
Wilkinson said the letter of support from the Trust was a significant factor in approving the application originally.
Tyson was sentenced to six years in prison in 1992 for raping an 18-year-old woman. New Zealand law does not allow a visa to be granted to anyone sentenced to more than five years in jail.
