Gary Glitter victim awarded more than £500,000 in damages for abuse at hands of disgraced rock star
The glam rock singer, whose real name is Paul Gadd, caused his victim ‘profound pain’, the High Court heard
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A woman who was abused by paedophile glam rock star Gary Glitter has been awarded £508,800 in damages from the disgraced musician.
A judge ruled the ‘I’m the Leader of the Gang (I Am!)’ singer, whose real name is Paul Gadd, must pay one of his victims the substantial sum following his 2015 conviction for historic sexual abuse.
She previously secured a “default judgment” in her claim – a ruling in her favour over Glitter’s liability – after she and two other schoolgirls were targeted by the rocker between 1975 and 1980.
The judge said in a 13-page ruling on Tuesday: “There is no doubt that the claimant was subject to sexual abuse of the most serious kind by the defendant when she was only 12 years old and that has had very significant adverse impact on the rest of her life.”
Ms Justice Tipples said the six-figure-sum includes £381,000 in lost earnings and £7,800 for future therapy and treatment.
The judge said the woman should also be paid interest on the damages of around £84,000.
At a hearing in March, the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, revealed she has been unable to work for several decades as a result of the abuse.
Her bid included a claim for £20,000 per year for 40 years, covering the time she has been unable to work.
Jonathan Metzer, representing the victim, said Glitter’s abuse had a “dramatic and terrible impact” on her education, work and personal relationships.
He told the High Court in London: “One can only begin to imagine the profound pain felt by someone who has experienced such shocking abuse … then suffered from feelings of shame and worthlessness.”
The barrister said his client was “plagued by thoughts of self-blame”, adding that her mother was a fan of Glitter’s music.
Mr Metzer said: “You may have concluded that his status as a rock star created a substantial imbalance of power that he exploited.
“There was an abuse of trust … her mother was beguiled by the defendant.”
Glitter did not attend the hearing, nor was he represented by a lawyer, with the court told he had not so far engaged with the civil case.
Richard Scorer, head of abuse law at Slater & Gordon who acts for the woman in this case, said after the judgment: “In making this award, the court has properly acknowledged the appalling abuse suffered by my client.
“Whilst no amount of money can make up for horrific sexual abuse, the award at least goes some way to recognising the devastation inflicted on my client throughout her childhood and adult life.
“Gadd’s refusal to engage with the process merely proves his utter lack of remorse, something we will be reminding the parole board about if he makes another application for early release.
“We will be pursuing Gadd for payment and will continue to support our client through this process.”
Asked if the judgment could pave the way for other victims to bring compensation claims, Mr Scorer added: “Gadd has caused irreparable harm to many children over decades – I hope that all those he has harmed will pursue justice whether through the criminal or civil courts or both.”
Glitter was jailed for 16 years in 2015 for sexually abusing three schoolgirls for offences which came to light as part of Operation Yewtree, the Metropolitan Police investigation launched in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal. His sentence expires in February 2031.
He was automatically released from HMP The Verne, a low-security prison in Portland, Dorset, in February last year after serving half of his fixed-term determinate sentence.
However, Glitter was put back behind bars less than six weeks after walking free when police monitoring showed he had breached his licence conditions by reportedly trying to access the dark web.
The court heard Glitter is now back at HMP The Verne, after being housed at HMP Risley during his recent failed parole bid. He was denied parole in February after a panel concluded it would not be safe for the public.
Mr Scorer said it was the “right decision” to keep him behind bars, adding: “Everything we know about Gadd/Glitter indicates that he remains a risk to children and has never shown any remorse.”
The rock star was first convicted in 1999 after a technician discovered child pornography on a laptop he had taken to be repaired at a high street retailer.
After his release, he left Britain, eventually settling in Vietnam where he was later jailed in 2006 for three years for obscene acts with three girls. He was deported back to Britain on his release.