Gary Glitter’s parole bid refused
Paedophile former singer Gary Glitter has had his latest bid to leave jail refused
The Parole Board announced its decision following a paper review of his case – where only written evidence is considered.
He was jailed in 2015 after being found guilty of sexually assaulting three schoolgirls in the late 1970s.
Glitter – the stage name of Paul Gadd, 81 – had been automatically released halfway through his 16-year sentence in 2023. He had been transferred to the low-security prison HMP The Verne in Portland, Dorset in 2018.
He was recalled to prison less than six weeks later for breaching his license conditions, after allegedly attempting to access the dark web and viewing downloaded images of children.
In a review into whether he should be freed last year, the Parole Board ruled that it was “not satisfied” his release would be in the interest of public safety.
The extent of his crimes were fully uncovered in 2012 when he was the first person to be arrested as part of Operation Yewtree – the Metropolitan Police investigation resulting from the revelations of abuse perpetrated by Jimmy Savile.
The investigation also resulted in the conviction of fellow entertainer Rolf Harris in 2014.
Before his fall from grace, Glitter was a popstar with a string of hits in the ‘70s and ‘80s. He known for his flamboyant stage persona and glitter-covered costumes.
He exploited this fame to get close to children – one instance involved him abusing two girls after inviting them into his dressing room backstage after a performance.
His career was effectively ended when he admitted to possessing over 4,000 indecent images of children in 1999, for which he served four months in prison.
He was deported from Cambodia on suspected child abuse charges in 2002, before spending two-and-a-half years in jail in Vietnam after being convicted of sexually abusing two more girls there in 2006.
After his release, he was deported back to the UK and was placed on the sex offender’s register for life.
Earlier this year, Glitter was declared bankrupt when he failed to pay more than £500,000 in damages to one of his victims. The woman had successfully sued him for assaulting her when she was 12.
If his applications for parole continue to be denied, Glitter’s sentence will expire in 2031.