Gary Glitter became an icon of British 70s glam rock, selling more than 20 million records with hit singles including “Rock and Roll (Parts 1 and 2)” and “Do You Wanna Touch Me”.
But in the 90s he was arrested and imprisoned for downloading thousands of child pornography images and videos. Glitter – real name Paul Gadd – was later convicted of child sexual abuse and attempted rape. He was recently recalled to prison after serving part of a 16-year sentence.
The dark and twisted double life he led has now been documented in a new show by ITV.
Glitter: The Popstar Paedophile is due to air 23 April, explaining how the sex offender used his charismatic onstage persona to cover up years of offstage predatory behaviour.
What did Gary Glitter do?
An investigation into Glitter was first launched after he took his computer to be repaired at a PC World in Bristol.
A number of child abuse images were found on his personal device, and in 1999 he pleaded guilty to 54 charges of making indecent photographs of children under 16.
He was sentenced to just four months in prison.
Glitter left the country after his time in jail, moving to south-east Asia. In 2002, reports started to emerge in Cambodia of sex-crime allegations.
Having been expelled from Cambodia, he was convicted in 2006 of sexually abusing two girls between the ages of 10 and 11 in Vietnam, where he spent about two years in prison.
The judge in Vietnam heard Glitter had kissed and fondled two children under the age of 11 at his home in the city of Vung Tau.
An investigation by the BBC in 2015 interviewed one of the victims, who said Glitter had taken her home, where she was shown various photos and videos. “He then grabbed me and dragged me into the bedroom, and that’s when he did it to me,” she said. “I was scared – really scared, so scared.”
After his sentence ended in Vietnam he was deported back to his home country.
Following the fallout from exposes of paedophile Jimmy Savile, Glitter became the first person to be arrested under Operation Yewtree – a 2012 Met investigation into historical sexual abuse allegations against UK media personalities.
In 2015, he was found guilty of attempted rape and sexually abusing three girls under the age of 13 in the 1970s and 80s.
Two schoolgirls were attacked by Glitter after he invited them into his dressing room after a show, separating them from their mothers.
In another instance, whioch took place in 1975, Glitter was found to have climbed into the bed of a girl under the age of 10 before raping her.
Judge Alistair McCreath sentenced him to 16 years in prison, telling the court: “It is difficult to overstate the depravity of this dreadful behaviour.”
Where is Gary Glitter now?
In 2023, Glitter was released from HM Prison The Verne, a low-security prison in Dorset, having served just half of a 16-year sentence.
At the time, a Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “Sex offenders like Paul Gadd are closely monitored by the police and Probation Service and face some of the strictest licence conditions including being fitted with a GPS tag.
“If the offender breaches these conditions at any point, they can go back behind bars.”
However, weeks after his release, Glitter was allegedly caught downloading images of children on a smartphone and was recalled to prison.
His parole board turned down his subsequent appeal, saying “Mr Gadd had a sexual interest in underage girls”.
Glitter is now being held at HMP Albany on the Isle of Wight.
Where can I watch The Popstar Paedophile?
Glitter: The Popstar Paedophile will air on ITV on 23 April, but can be streamed after that on ITVX.
Sophie Anderson, a UK-based writer, is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
