Gary Glitter jailed for 16 years for sex assaults on schoolgirls

Pop star Gary Glitter has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for sexually abusing three schoolgirls in the 1970s and 80s.

At Southwark Crown Court today, Judge Alistair McCreath said the 70-year-old had done "real and lasting damage" to his victims for no other reason than to obtain sexual gratification for himself.

Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, was found guilty of one count of attempted rape, one count of unlawful sex with a girl under 13, and four counts of indecent assault.

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One girl was younger than ten when Glitter "crept into her bed and tried to attack her" in 1975, reports the Daily Telegraph, while two victims aged 12 and 13 were attacked after he invited them backstage to his dressing room.

The 12-year-old was taken to his hotel room before he subjected her to a "prolonged" episode of sexual abuse and had sex with her, says the Telegraph.

Glitter denied the allegations against him, and was cleared of two further counts of indecent assault and one count of plying a woman with a drug in order to facilitate sexual intercourse.

Glitter's defence lawyer claimed he had been subject to a "very high degree of vilification" in the press after being jailed in Vietnam in 2006 for molesting two girls aged 11 and 12 and had led an "increasingly isolated life" for the last decade.

But Judge McCreath said he could find "no real evidence" that Glitter had atoned for his crimes and said all three victims were "profoundly affected" by his abuse.

With a sentence of 16 years, he now faces the prospect of dying in jail, says The Guardian.

Glitter, who was the first individual arrested under Operation Yewtree, was described by one investigating officer as a "habitual sexual predator, who took advantage of the star status afforded to him by targeting young girls who trusted him and were in awe of his fame".