Anger as freed Glitter is filmed ‘ looking for Dark Web’
A FORMER justice secretary called last night for ‘swift action’ after freed paedophile Gary Glitter was filmed apparently discussing the sinister ‘Dark Web’.
Robert Buckland KC spoke out after a video showed the disgraced pop star, 78, in his secluded bail hostel, staring at a smartphone while saying he is trying to find ‘the Onion’.
This is a term for the infamous online realm the Dark Web, used by paedophiles as it is hard to monitor or trace users.
Leading Tory MP Mr Buckland, who was also Lord Chancellor, told the Daily Mail: ‘I would have thought there would be licence conditions prohibiting this sort of activity and I hope the Ministry of Justice takes swift action to deal with this.’
Former home secretary Priti Patel said if
‘Very shocking and makes you feel sick’
Glitter was breaching conditions imposed when he was freed last month, he should be sent straight back to jail. ‘This is very shocking and makes you feel sick,’ she added.
The Ministry of Justice said: ‘Sex offenders are closely monitored by the police and Probation Service and face some of the strictest licence conditions including restrictions on internet use. If an offender breaches these conditions, they can be recalled to prison.’
But human rights laws protect the web use of even prolific paedophiles such as Glitter. Appeal Court judges ruled more than a decade ago that it was generally wrong to impose blanket bans.
That means it is hard to police Glitter’s activities. He was freed from prison in Dorset and is at the hostel in the south of England set in leafy grounds behind security gates. The footage obtained by the Sun on Sunday apparently from a fellow inmate shows him looking gaunt and with a hearing aid.
He says: ‘Shall I get rid of this DuckDuck?’ and a companion replies: ‘Yeah, I wouldn’t bother using that.’ Glitter responds: ‘So what do I do next? Let’s try and find this Onion.’
‘DuckDuck’ is likely to be a reference to a search engine with high levels of privacy.
Glitter was freed after serving half a 16-year term imposed in 2015 for sexually abusing girls aged under 13 during his glam rock heyday in the 1970s and 80s.
He was previously jailed for four months in 1999 over a vile cache of 4,000 child abuse images found on his computer. Glitter went abroad and was jailed again in 2006 for sexually abusing two girls in Vietnam.