Glitter ordered to pay £508k to sexual abuse victim

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Gary Glitter, 80, has been ordered to pay £508,800 to a victim he abused when she was just 12 years old.

The shamed singer was jailed in 2015 for historic sexual abuse charges against three schoolgirls between 1975 and 1980. Although he was released last year, he was recalled back to jail less than six weeks after for breaching his parole conditions.

Glitter ordered to pay

The victim, who is now a grown woman, has sued Glitter and been awarded compensation after being subjected to abuse “of the most serious kind”.

The court heard how she hadn’t worked for decades due to the trauma of being reaped and humiliated by the disgraced singer.

Her barrister said Glitter’s abuse had a “dramatic and terrible impact” on her work, education and personal life.

Judge Mrs. Justice Tipples said:

“She felt totally ashamed. She would scrub herself in the bath daily and this included, on occasion, using a pumice stone to ‘scrub her face off’, and she did not care what she looked like. The claimant just did not want to look like herself.”

Glitter must pay £381,000 for lost earnings and £7,800 for future therapy, and there may be more to come as another hearing will consider legal fees and whether interest on the damages is due.

Gary Glitter’s catalogue of historic abuse

Gary Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd was a musical artist who rose to fame during the 1970s and 80’s. However, his career ended after he was convicted of downloading child pornography in 1999 and was jailed for four months.

After he was freed, he went abroad but was expelled from Cambodia in 2002 amid reports of sex crime allegations. In March 2006 he was convicted of sexually abusing two young girls in neighbouring Vietnam and spent two-and-a-half years in jail.

When he returned to the UK, Glitter was ordered to sign the sex offenders register.

But the catalogue of abuse doesn’t end there, as in 2012, he was arrested in London following an investigation carried out by detectives from Operation Yewtree, after it was found that had sexually abused three schoolgirls between 1975 and 1980. The offences led to him being jailed for 16 years in 2015.

Glitter had a brief taste of freedom in February last year when he was released from HMP The Verne – a low-security prison in Portland, Dorset, after serving half of his fixed-term determinate sentence.

But less than six weeks after walking free, sick Glitter was put back in jail after for breaching his licence conditions by allegedly viewing downloaded images of children.

He was escorted back to jail on March 13, 2023, from his secluded bail hostel after a probe into his use of a smartphone and the Dark Web.

It followed revelations that Glitter was using a smartphone and was recorded saying he wanted to find “the Onion” – a slang term used for the Dark Web, often used to access criminal materials such as child pornography.

Historic Abuse – Making a claim

Compensation for historic abuse

If you are a survivor of abuse in the past, whether that be sexual abuse or physical assault, you may be entitled to claim compensation for the impact it had on your health.

A claim can be made for the physical impact on your health but also, an often more importantly, it can also be made for any damage it may have caused to your mental health. Compensation can be claimed for personal injury and also any financial losses you may have suffered as a result of your ill health.

Even if the abuse took place decades ago, you may still be entitled to make a claim.

Historic Abuse – Should I make a claim?

Before deciding on whether making a claim is the best option for you, it’s important to seek some initial legal advice about the merits. Here at Oakwood Solicitors, we offer a free assessment and would be happy to discuss this with you and no charge.

If you find a Solicitor who is of the view that your claim does have merits, then it is important to also consider the impact on your health that taking a claim forward may have.

Litigation can be a stressful process and may have an adverse impact on your health.

We are not doctors, so we cannot give you medical advice, but are under a duty to advise you that pursuing a claim will be a reminder of the trauma of the abuse whilst the claim is ongoing, and this may have an negative impact on your mental health.

Please also note that the only outcome to a successful claim is financial compensation. You may see the litigation as a mechanism for obtaining answers, but the majority of cases settle out of Court, which may result in many of your questions remaining unanswered.

You may be advised by your doctors that by revisiting the trauma of the abuse you suffered may set you back in your recovery. The decision to proceed must be your own, in conjunction with your medical advisors.

If you agree to proceed forward with a claim, then our team will support you as best as they can and try and make the process as stress-free as possible.

Why should I use Oakwood Solicitors to make my claim?

At Oakwood Solicitors, we have a dedicated team focused solely on claims of this nature. We have experience dealing with victims of sexual abuse and understand that this is a stressful time for all involved.

You will have a dedicated advisor who will see your claim through from start to finish, assisting you in the event of any queries or issues you may have.

If it is preferable to you, we are able to assign a female advisor to carry out your claim. Your case handler will also continue to provide regular updates until the conclusion of your claim, ensuring the process is as stress-free and effortless as possible.

Historic Abuse: Gary Glitter ordered to pay £508k to sexual abuse victim