Where is Gary Glitter now? Pedo pop star could be living near 10 schools and housing estate with busy playgrounds
If you or anyone you know suspects child abuse, you are urged to immediately call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org.
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM: Former English glam rock singer Gary Glitter is now staying very close to 10 schools after he was bailed out of prison on Thursday, February 2. The serial child abuser is currently residing in a bail hostel that is close to a housing estate with a busy playground but fortunately, he is strictly banned from visiting anywhere near schools, playgrounds, or swimming pools, due to his strict license conditions.
After serving just half of his 16-year sentence, Glitter got out of HMP The Verne, a jail that is only for male sex offenders in Portland, at 1.25 am. The entire operation which took weeks to plan was carried out with utmost secrecy and four police officers escorted the 78-year-old, seated in the back of a black saloon, to a bail hostel at a top-secret suburban location. However, sources lashed out after they got to know that he was allowed out under automatic release rules, according to The Sun.
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“By law, officials’ hands were completely tied," one said. “He had to be released at the halfway point of his sentence. But Glitter simply hasn’t engaged properly with the treatment he was offered inside. He attended the sessions but made it quite clear he wasn’t interested. It was like a naughty kid staring out of the window throughout the class. If a dangerous sex offender refuses to engage, surely they’re just not fit for release?”
One of his victims said after the release, "It’s hit me really hard. I can’t believe this is happening to me. I just can’t do this anymore. He should never be let out of prison for what he did. He’s just done eight years but I’m doing a life sentence." The victim then added, "I can never forget what this monster did to me and I’m still struggling to deal with it. I really believe that he is still a danger to society. Who knows what he could go on to do?” The outlet previously reported that Glitter got permission to get out of prison in June 2021.
One of his child victims in Vietnam who was molested when she was just 10, told the outlet, "He will always be a terrible danger to young girls. It’s terrifying to think he might soon be free. I still have nightmares about what he did to me.”
Glitter has been categorized as a level 3 offender which means he is still capable of causing serious harm to an individual and will need senior probation staff to monitor him. He is not allowed to work without getting any approval and will have to follow a strict curfew. He is also strictly prohibited from living with anyone under the age of 18. The fallen rock singer would instantly be sent back to jail if he fails to abide by any of the above mentioned rules.
“Sex offenders like Paul Gadd are closely monitored by the police and Probation Service and face some of the strictest license conditions including being fitted with a GPS tag", a Ministry of Justice spokesman said last night. “If the offender breaches these conditions at any point, they can go back behind bars. We’ve already introduced tougher sentences for the worst offenders and ended the automatic halfway release for serious crimes.”
English pop singer Gary Glitter performing on the London Weekend Television show 'Saturday Scene', London, October 1975 (Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)“If there’s one thing we know about serious sex offenders, it’s that they are overwhelmingly likely to try to offend again", said Lawyer Richard Scorer, who represents one of Glitter’s victims. "It’s almost inconceivable that he won’t and his failure to engage with these programs just reinforces that. My client will be incredibly concerned. Glitter will be subject to a number of license conditions for a period of time. But the system is never fail-safe and once someone is out, there’s always a risk. With someone like this, there’s a significant risk — and that’s a very difficult thing for victims to be contemplating. This is a real source of concern. This needs to be looked at because there’s a real disconnect between the way the system operates and the way it looks to victims and the risk it involves.”
What was Gary Glitter convicted for?
Garry Glitter's spectacular public image came crumbling down following his 1997 arrest and 1999 conviction and imprisonment for downloading thousands of child pornography images and videos. He was also charged with sexual activity with an underage girl in the 1970s but was acquitted. He later faced criminal charges and deportation from several countries in connection with both actual and suspected child sexual abuse.
Glitter, whose real name is Paul Francis Gadd, was deported from Cambodia on suspected child sexual abuse charges in 2002 and settled in Vietnam. There, a court found him guilty of obscene acts with minors in 2006. He was deported to the UK and was placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for life after serving his sentence. In 2015, 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, receiving a total of 16 years in prison.
Where is Gary Glitter now?
Although Glitter's exact whereabouts have not been disclosed, he is reportedly staying in a bail hostel that is close to about 10 schools and close to a housing estate with busy playgrounds, but thanks to his strict license conditions, he is not allowed to visit anywhere near schools, playgrounds or swimming pools.
Neighbors fear Gary Glitter's return
A mum-of-two, who lives directly across the road from Glitter's London flat in a posh Victorian red-brick mansion block said, "I had no idea he used to live here. That is extremely worrying. It’s a disgrace he has been let out at all. That is shocking." She now fears for the lives of her two children who play on the road, just a stone's throw away from the singer's residence. The 2 million dollars worth flat has been empty and not in his name since he was arrested in Vietnam in 2006.
One resident who lives on the same floor was not aware of Glitter's links to their new home. “We have just moved in so didn’t know about any of this", they said. "That is very scary." They added, "Very scary. It’s scary to think I could be walking past with the kids on the way home. I had no idea he was out. If he does move back in, everyone on the road should be told."