British pop star Paul Gadd, 82, commonly known as Gary Glitter, has been charged with “unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 and three counts of indecent assault on a girl under 14,” according to England’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
“The Crown Prosecution Service has decided to prosecute Paul Gadd with one count of unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 and three counts of indecent assault on a girl under 14,” Bethan David, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS London, said in a CPS statement. “This follows allegations made by a woman relating to a period of alleged abuse that took place between 1978 and 1981.”
“Our prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring this case to court and that it is in the public interest to do so. We have worked closely with the Metropolitan Police as they have carried out their investigation into the allegations,” David said in the statement. “The Crown Prosecution Service reminds everyone that proceedings are now active, and the defendant has the right to a fair trial.”
The CPS has charged Paul Gadd, known as Gary Glitter, in connection to non-recent sexual offences. He will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court for a first hearing on 5 August 2026.
Read more here: https://t.co/h6Kfm3j7X2 pic.twitter.com/CvYJeXd0iY
— Crown Prosecution Service (@CPSUK) July 2, 2026
The pop star has had a lengthy history of similar charges. In 1999, Glitter was found to have child sexual abuse content on his computer, resulting in four months in jail, A&E TV reported earlier this year. In 2003, Glitter was kicked out of Cambodia for alleged sex offenses, according to The Guardian. Subsequently, in 2006, he was convicted in Vietnam of abusing girls aged 10 and 11, the New York Times reported at the time. He was imprisoned in Vietnam and promptly deported to Britain following his release.
Glitter was then arrested in the United Kingdom in 2012 and convicted in 2015 of “attempted rape, four counts of indecent assault and one of having sex with a girl under the age of 13,” NBC News noted. He served 16 years and was released in 2023 on probation. He found himself back in jail just a month later, after breaking the terms of his probation by attempting to open the dark web. He is currently still serving time in prison for this incident when Thursday’s newest charges were filed.
Glitter is best known for his hit “Rock and Roll Part 2,” NBC News reported. The NBC News report highlighted his “figure-hugging shiny silver all-in-one suits and platform shoes.” One of Glitter’s top 10 hits on Spotify is titled “Do You Wanna Touch Me? (Oh Yeah!)”