Gary Glitter Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison

BY Alex HudsonPublished Feb 27, 2015

Earlier this month, disgraced rocker Gary Glitter was found guilty of sex crimes involving young girls. Now, the 70-year-old has been handed a 16-year prison sentence.

The musician born Paul Gadd was found guilty of attempted rape, four counts of indecent assault, and one count of sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of 13.

These crimes are severe enough to merit a life sentence under today's laws, but Judge Alistair McCreath had to follow the punishments that were available at the time of the crimes.

"The offences for which I must pass sentence today took place many years ago at a time when in particular, in respect of one of them, the maximum sentence was considerably lower than that which is now available," he said.

This case involved girls who were 10, 12 and 13, respectively. In the case of the 10-year-old, he crept into her bed and attempted to rape her in 1975. The other children were abused backstage at concerts.

Judge McCreath said that there was no evidence that Gadd had atoned for what he had done. Gadd has apparently sought help for his sexual inclinations, but he pleaded not guilty.

It's possible that he could face further charges, as more information has apparently come to light since his conviction.

This, of course, is far from the first time that Gadd has faced accusations of underage sex crimes. He was charged with child pornography in the '90s, and close to a decade ago went on trial in Vietnam for sex with underage girls.

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