Gary Glitter Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison
Gary Glitter has had his day in court — and it'll be followed by 16 years in prison.
The singer, whose real name is Paul Gadd, was found guilty earlier this month after standing trial for charges of sexually abusing underage girls between 1975 and 1980. He received a 16-year sentence, along with some stinging words from the judge who presided over the case.
Pointing out that "The offenses 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," Judge Alistair McCreath told Gadd he wouldn't be handing down a life sentence, but made it clear that he wasn't taking the charges lightly.
"I have read the victim impact statements of all three victims. It is clear, in their different ways, they were all profoundly affected by your abuse of them," admonished McCreath. "You did all of them real and lasting damage and you did so for no other reason than to obtain sexual gratification for yourself of a wholly improper kind."
Calling Gadd 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," Detective Chief Inspector Michael Orchard from Scotland Yard applauded the ruling — and the victims who came forward so he could be held accountable for his crimes.
"His lack of remorse and defence that the victims were lying make his crimes all the more indefensible," fumed Orchard. "I would like to commend the bravery of the victims for coming forward. The courage and strength required to report allegations of this nature cannot be underestimated; and without their testimonials we would have no case to bring to court."
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