Gary Glitter: The Rock Star Who Served Time for Sexual Abuse
The name Gary Glitter conjures up a certain era of rock and roll, with hits such as “Do You Wanna Touch Me” and “I Love You Love Me Love”. But what many may not know is that Glitter has also been convicted of sexual abuse.
Glitter, who is 79, was arrested in 2015 and sentenced to 16 years in jail for sexually abusing three underage girls. The victims were 13, 12 and 10. After serving half of his sentence, Glitter was released from the Dorset jail on Friday morning, though he will still be subject to “licence conditions”, meaning he will serve the rest of his sentence in the community.
Glitter was arrested as part of Operation Yewtree, a large-scale police investigation launched by the Metropolitan Police to look into historic sex crimes perpetrated by celebrities following the Jimmy Savile scandal. Savile was a long-feted radio DJ and TV presenter who was exposed as a prolific sexual predator after his death in 2011.
In 1999, Glitter was sentenced to four months in prison after pleading guilty to possessing 4,000 images of child sexual abuse. He was also found not guilty of sexually assaulting an underage girl in a separate trial. In 2006, he was convicted of sexually abusing two underage girls in Vietnam and sentenced for three years, of which he served two and a half years.
Gary Glitter’s story is a reminder that even the stars of the music industry can be guilty of heinous crimes. His release from prison serves as a sobering reminder of the lasting trauma inflicted on his victims, and the importance of holding those who commit such crimes accountable for their actions.
Source: variety.com