Paedophile Gary Glitter has been freed from jail after only serving half his sentence
Gary Glitter has been freed from prison after serving half of his 16-year sentence for sex crimes.
The 79-year-old singer, whose real name is Paul Gadd, was jailed in 2015 for sexually abusing three schoolgirls.
According to the Press Association, Gadd left HMP The Verne – a low security category C prison in Portland, Dorset – today (Friday 3 February) after eight years behind bars.
He was freed automatically halfway through a fixed-term determinate sentence, and will now be subject to licence conditions.
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Gadd attacked two girls, aged 12 and 13, after inviting them into his dressing room and isolating them from their parents.
His third victim was less than 10 years old when he tried to rape her in her bed in 1975.
The crimes were only brought to justice 40 years later as part of Operation Yewtree, the investigation launched by the Metropolitan Police following the Jimmy Savile scandal.
Sentencing the glam rock star, Judge Alistair McCreath told Gadd he was able to attack because of his fame, saying the victims were 'profoundly affected' by the abuse.
After the court heard there was no evidence that Gadd had atoned for his actions, he was found guilty of one count of attempted rape, one count of unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 13, and four counts of indecent assault.
Gary Glitter's sexual offences:
November 1997
A computer engineer discovers thousands of child porn images on Gadd’s laptop while servicing it.
November 1999
Gadd is jailed for four months after pleading guilty to 54 offences of making indecent photographs of children under 16.
January 2000
After serving two months in prison, the singer is freed and travels to Spain and then Cuba.
February 2001
Gadd has a son with Yudenia Sosa Martinez on the Caribbean island.
2002
He is kicked out of Cambodia after facing allegations of sex crimes and moves to Thailand, before going on to the Vietnamese coastal resort of Vung Tau.
March 2006
The shamed singer is convicted of sexually abusing two Vietnamese girls, aged 10 and 11, and sentenced to three years in prison.
August 2008
Gadd is ordered to return to the UK after spending two-and-a-half years in jail.
October 2012
Gadd becomes the first person to be arrested under the Metropolitan Police’s Operation Yewtree – the investigation launched in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal.
June 2014
The singer is charged with eight counts of sexual offences, which later becomes 10 counts.
January 2015
Gadd goes on trial at Southwark Crown Court.
February 2015
He is found guilty of one count of attempted rape, four counts of indecent assault and one count of sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of 13. Gadd is jailed for 16 years.
November 2015
He loses a Court of Appeal challenge against his conviction.
February 3 2023
The now 70-year-old is released from HMP The Verne in Portland, Dorset, after eight years behind bars.
More to follow...
Jess Hardiman