Snipes Allowed To Shoot Abroad

LATEST: Hollywood actor WESLEY SNIPES has been granted permission to leave the U.S. to work abroad.

The troubled Blade star, 45, was handed a three-year prison sentence in April (08) after officials found him guilty of failing to file taxes for five years.

He is currently free on appeal, and filed a motion last month (Jun08) begging Florida federal judge William Terrell Hodges to allow him the work opportunity.

Snipes argued the money he earns from the two films will "satisfy his civil tax liabilities", and his lawyer insisted he was not a flight risk because "were he to abscond under these circumstances, it would destroy his ability to earn a living for the rest of his life".

And Snipes has now been approved to fly to London for three days later this month (Jul08) to finish work on Gallowwalker, while he will spend a further eight weeks in Bangkok, Thailand to shoot Chasing The Dragon.