Glitter was given more than £20k legal aid for abuse trial
Vile singer still receives £300k a year in royalties
PAEDOPHILE Gary Glitter was given more than £21,000 in legal aid to fight child sex charges, it was revealed yesterday.
The disgraced former pop star was granted taxpayers’ cash to fund his defence at court despite being wealthy enough to rent a £2million London home.
His QC was paid £21,363.73 from the public purse for the three-week trial, in which Glitter was convicted of sex attacks on girls as young as eight.
Child abuse campaigners hit out at the ‘outrageous waste of public money’ and said victims were often denied legal aid when they tried to pursue claims against their abusers through the civil courts.
At the height of his fame in the 1970s and 1980s, glam rock star Glitter had a string of hits which still earn him an estimated £300,000 a year in royalties.
He was jailed in 1999 over child sex abuse images found on his computer, and again in 2006 in Vietnam for molesting girls aged ten and 11. Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, stood trial earlier this year and was found guilty of the attempted rape of an eightyear-old girl in 1975 and sex attacks against girls aged 12 and 13.
He was jailed for 16 years for the abuse and trial judge Alistair McCreath told him he had caused his young victims ‘real and lasting damage’.
After Glitter’s conviction, the Ministry of Justice said it would take steps to claim back the cost of his defence. A Legal Aid Agency spokesman said it would take ‘all steps necessary’.
It is understood that Glitter, now 71, was means-tested and made some contribution towards the cost of his legal team, but was not ordered to fund it all himself.
During the trial Glitter lived a comfortable lifestyle and was taken to Southwark Crown Court every day by taxi f rom his £2million rented mansion flat in Marylebone, Central London.
Jon Bird, of the National Association for People Abused in Childhood charity, said: ‘It’s an outrageous waste of public money for this man to get legal aid.’ Dr Bird said Glitter’s decision to fight the charges had forced his victims to go through the trauma of giving evidence in court.
He added: ‘We hear from many unable to take civil cases against their abusers because they can’t get legal aid.’
An NSPCC spokesman said many abuse victims would find the decision to grant him legal aid upsetting, saying: ‘It must be a bitter pill for his victims.’
Under current rules, anyone aged under 18, or on benefits, or who has a gross annual income of less than £22,325 is eligible for legal aid. Those with a higher income can still apply for a hardship review. If they are found guilty, the Legal Aid Agency can start court proceedings to claim the money back from the convict’s income or assets.
A Legal Aid Agency spokesman said: ‘Anyone facing a Crown Court trial is eligible for legal aid, subject to a strict means test, to ensure they have representation in often complex trials.
‘Defendants can be made to pay a substantial monthly contribution towards their legal costs. If they are found guilty we take all steps necessary to recover the full costs of their defence.’