Gary Glitter refused prison release by parole board
Disgraced paedophile pop star Gary Glitter has had his bid to be freed from jail rejected.
The UK Parole Board revealed it had made the decision not to release Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, after a paper review – where written evidence is examined.
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Glitter, 81, was jailed for 16 years in 2015 for sexually abusing three schoolgirls between 1975 and 1980.
He was automatically released from HMP The Verne, a low-security prison in Portland, Dorset, in February 2023 after serving half of his fixed-term determinate sentence.
Less than six weeks after walking free, Glitter was put back behind bars when police monitoring showed he had breached his licence conditions by reportedly trying to access the dark web and viewing downloaded images of children.
A spokesman for the Parole Board said on Tuesday: 'We can confirm that a panel of the Parole Board refused the release of Paul Gadd following a paper review.
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'Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community.
'A panel will carefully examine a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as explore the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims.'
Parole judges review the cases of criminals who are recalled to prison to decide whether they should be re-released or stay behind bars for the rest of their sentence.
Former pop star Gary Glitter, real name Paul Gadd, arrives at Southwark Crown Court in London (Anthony Devlin/PA)
Glitter's last parole hearing happened in January 2024. If the Parole Board does not recommend him for release in future, he will walk free when his sentence expires in February 2031.
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'Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority,' the Parole Board spokesman added.
'Under current legislation he will be eligible for a further review in due course. The date of the next review will be set by the Ministry of Justice.'
In April, Glitter was made bankrupt after failing to pay more than £500,000 in damages to one of his victims, her lawyers said.
Richard Scorer, head of abuse law and public inquiries at Slater and Gordon – who represents one of Glitter's victims, said the decision is 'absolutely right' but warned of the 'nightmare' his client faces each time the 81-year-old is up for review.
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'The decision made by the parole board is absolutely right,' Mr Scorer said.
'My client is relieved at this ruling but is understandably apprehensive about the continued nightmare of Gadd coming up for parole again, and the fear of him being let out on licence.
'This is unfair on victims and it would be better if our clients could be assured that he would serve the rest of his sentence.'
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