Gary Glitter Denied Release from Prison on Child Sex Abuse Charges

Disgraced former pop star Gary Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, has been denied release from prison by the Parole Board. Gadd, 79, was serving a 16-year sentence for sexually abusing three schoolgirls between 1975 and 1980.

The Parole Board, an independent body responsible for assessing the risk of releasing prisoners, made the decision after considering Gadd’s offending history, lack of progress in custody, and other evidence presented at the hearing. The board ruled that Gadd’s release would not be safe for the protection of the public and concluded that he should remain in custody where the outstanding risk could be addressed.

Gadd’s probation officer also deemed him unable to be safely managed in the community, highlighting the need for greater internal controls and open disclosure to ensure his risks were addressed. The Parole Board further found that Gadd had a sexual interest in underage girls during his offending and showed a lack of victim empathy.

Although Gadd’s behavior in prison has been generally good, he has not participated in any programs to confront his offending because he continues to deny having a sexual interest in children.

Known for his string of chart hits in the 1970s, Gary Glitter’s fall from grace began in the late 1990s when he was imprisoned for possessing thousands of child abuse images. He was also convicted of sexually abusing two girls, aged 10 and 11, in Vietnam in 2006, for which he served two and a half years in jail. Prior to that, he had been expelled from Cambodia in 2002 amidst sex crime allegations.

Following the revelations of the Jimmy Savile scandal, Gadd’s offenses came to light as part of Operation Yewtree – the Metropolitan Police’s investigation into historical child sexual abuse cases. He was originally sentenced in 2015 and served half of his 16-year sentence before being recalled to prison for breaching his license conditions by allegedly viewing downloaded images of children.

Richard Scorer, a lawyer representing one of Gadd’s victims, expressed satisfaction with the Parole Board’s decision, stating that Gadd remains a risk to children and has shown no remorse. Scorer hopes that Gadd will serve his full sentence, as it is unfair for his client to endure repeated parole hearings.