'Dog the Bounty Hunter' Denied UK Entry Due to 1976 Murder Conviction

(Photo : Reuters)

"Dog the Bounty Hunter" Duane Chapman might have tracked down fugitives on his A&E reality show, but his recent good deeds can't erase his ugly past.

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Chapman was supposrd to star in the United Kingdom's new series "Celebrity Big Brother" but, according to The Guardian, the UK Border Agency denied him a visa due to his involvement in the 1976 murder of Jerry Oliver in Pampa, TX.

Oliver was shot dead by one of Chapman's friends during a marijuana deal gone array. Chapman waited outside in a car during the time Oliver was killed. He was convicted of first-degree murder and was sentenced to five years in prison. However, he only served 18 months.

Chapman admitted his wrong doing to The Guardian and claimed to have altered his ways since then.

"I should not have been there, that's that," he said.

His wife Beth, however, is displeased with the UK Border Agency's decision.

"It's just incredible that something that he did 33 years ago is just haunting him," she said. "It prevents him [from] making a living. Our society is so unforgiving it seems, no matter how many good things we do."

In support of his visa application, Chapman has a document from Charles Love - a Pampa police officer at the time of the murder - which describes his role in the crime as "minor."

Chapman is also using a letter he received from RG1, an organization run by filmmakers that promotes youth to lead crime-free lives, to defend his visa status. The organization requested that Chapman join their initiative.

At the time this article was written, nearly 4,000 fans had signed a petition requesting that the "Bounty Hunter" be allowed into the UK.