Who is Gary Glitter? Disgraced pop star recalled to prison

Former pop singer Gary Glitter has been recalled to prison for violating the terms of his licence, according to the Probation Service.

Glitter had reportedly tried to access the dark web on his smartphone.

After completing half of a 16-year prison sentence for sexually assaulting three schoolgirls, the musician, whose real name is Paul Gadd, was released in February.

Upon release, he was subject to licence conditions including having a GPS tag.

The pop star was sentenced in 2015 after he was found guilty of horrific abuse against young girls during his time as a pop star in the 1970s.

He was sentenced for attempted rape, four counts of indecent assault, and one of having sex with a girl under 13.

His youngest victim had been less than 10 years old when he crept into her bed and tried to rape her in 1975.

The paedophile had been automatically released after he served half of his term and, as a sex offender, was subject to licence conditions.

Who is Gary Glitter?

Gary Glitter was born Paul Gadd in Banbury, Oxfordshire, on May 8, 1944. He worked in London nightclubs as a teenager before entering the music and television industries.

Gary Glitter became a household name at the age of 28 when he became a star of the emerging glam-rock scene in the 1970s.

Gary Glitter - a career in pictures

He had an array of hits - including Rock and Roll, which was a hit in the UK and the US, followed by other songs such as I Love You Love, Do You Wanna Touch Me?, and I’m The Leader of the Gang.

By 1975, Glitter had sold 18 million records. It was at the height of his fame when he attacked two girls, aged 12 and 13, after he invited them to his dressing room.

The dark past of Glitter

Glitter was first arrested in 1997 after dozens of images of child sex abuse were found on his computer’s hard disk. He was sentenced in 1999 to four months in a UK prison for possessing the images.

After he was released a year later, he left the UK and travelled the world, settling in Cambodia.

He was only there two years before being “permanently expelled” from the country in 2002 over unspecified allegations.

He moved to Vietnam and was convicted for sexually abusing two Vietnamese girls in 2006, aged just 10 and 11.

Glitter, who stood accused of kissing, fondling, and engaging in other sexual acts with the girls, evaded more serious charges of child rape, which carried a maximum penalty of death by firing squad.

He returned to the UK in 2008 and was ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register.

Gary Glitter held for ten hours by police investigating Jimmy Savile sex claims

Glitter arrested in the UK

The disgraced paedophile was arrested again in 2012 in his London home as part of Operation Yewtree, which was set up after the Jimmy Savile abuse scandal.

He appeared in court in 2015 and denied a host of horrifying charges, including rape, sex assault, and sex with a minor.

Jurors heard from a victim who claimed he tried to rape her when she was just 10 years old.

He was found guilty on six counts - attempted rape, four counts of indecent assault, and one of having sex with a girl under the age of 13 - and ordered to spend 16 years behind bars.

What happens next?

Glitter has spent eight years behind bars and became eligible for parole after serving half his term.

He had been serving time at HMP The Verne — a low-security category C jail in Portland, Dorset — and was automatically freed halfway through his term.

As a sex offender, he was subject to strict monitoring and licence conditions, including being fitted with a GPS tag.

Any subsequent re-release will be a matter for the Parole Board.