Fury as Gary Glitter could be free within months after parole grant hearing

Paedophile Gary Glitter could be freed from prison less than six months after being recalled back to prison for looking at footage of young girls performing ballet. Victims and former senior police officers have hit back at the decision after the disgraced rock star was granted a new parole hearing. Glitter, 79, was serving a 16-year prison sentence for historic sexual attacks on three young girls but was released from prison halfway into his term. But he was recalled back to prison in March after it emerged he had been looking at footage of young girls on YouTube and TikTok . The pervert was looking at girls as young as eight in leotards and short skirts while they performed in ballet shows and gymnastic routines. Gary Glitter’s parole hearing is set for autumn (Image: Getty) Checks on his phone found that he had also downloaded and deleted an app called DuckDuckGo, which can give access to the dark web. Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, claimed he had been watching the videos due to his interest in the performing arts. Parole Board bosses have confirmed that Glitter would be freed with immediate effect from sex offenders’ prison The Verne in Dorset if he successfully makes his case. Michael Hames, a former police officer who created the Metropolitan Police’s Paedophile Unit, told The Sun it is “bizarre” that they are giving him a parole hearing not long after his recall. Glitter was caught watching videos of young girls while on temporary release (Image: Getty) He also said that the paedophile “is, and will remain, a danger to children” pointing out that he has a clear “lack of remorse” for his actions. Richard Scorer, a solicitor for one of Glitter’s victims, said he wants the paedophile “locked up for as long as possible” and urged the Parole Board to use “common sense” when making a decision. He added that it was “madness” to release Glitter into the public. The Parole Board said: “We can confirm the parole review of Paul Gadd is following standard processes.” When the 78-year-old had been released in February, he was only halfway through his 16-year prison sentence for sexually abusing three schoolgirls. He was at the height of his fame when he preyed on his victims, who thought no-one would believe their claims because of his celebrity status. The offences came to light nearly 40 years after they occurred, when Glitter became the first person to be arrested under Operation Yewtree – the investigation launched by the Metropolitan Police in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal. His fall from grace occurred years earlier, after he admitted possessing 4,000 child pornography images and was jailed for four months in 1999.