Former pop star Gary Glitter has been released from prison in England on Friday after serving half of a 16-year prison sentence for sexually abusing three young girls in the 1970s.
Key points:
- The disgraced 79-year-old singer, real name Paul Gadd, was freed from a prison in Dorset in the south-west of England
- The Ministry of Justice said that Gadd is facing strict conditions which, if breached, will land him back in jail
- Gadd has previously been jailed in Vietnam on child abuse charges
The 79-year-old singer, whose real name is Paul Gadd, was freed from a prison in Dorset, in south-west England.
It is common for offenders in the UK to be freed halfway through their sentences and then be placed on probation.
“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,” the Ministry of Justice said in a statement.
“If the offender breaches these conditions at any point, they can go back behind bars.”
The singer was 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 was arrested in October 2012 under Operation Yewtree, the national investigation launched in the wake of the child abuse scandal surrounding the late BBC entertainer Jimmy Savile.
Gadd is best known for the hit “Rock & Roll (Part 2),” released in 1972, but he fell into disgrace after being convicted on charges in Vietnam.
He served a total of two years and nine months for child abuse after being arrested in Ho Chi Minh City in 2005.
AP