Former pop icon Gary Glitter is facing allegations of abusing a young girl over a three-year period, starting when she was eight years old in 1978. The court heard that Glitter, 82, reportedly provided the girl with chocolate and carried out multiple acts of abuse at his residence in Kensington, West London.

Appearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court via video link from HMP Channings Wood, Devon, Glitter – whose real name is Paul Gadd – faces charges of unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 and three counts of indecent assault on a girl under 14 between 1978 and 1981. During the brief hearing, dressed in a blue shirt and jeans with a cap covering his head and a goatee beard, Glitter initially struggled to hear questions, citing his severe hearing impairment.

Despite his hearing difficulties, Glitter eventually confirmed his identity as Paul Gadd after a prison guard repeated the question. The prosecutor informed the court that the complainant, now in her mid-50s, approached the police in January of the previous year. Allegedly, Glitter befriended her and invited her to his home, where the offenses are said to have taken place over a span of several years, often involving the offering of chocolate.

The accused, visibly straining to follow proceedings, requested that the volume be adjusted to accommodate his hearing aids. Prosecutor Jonathan Polnay KC detailed the serious sexual offenses allegedly committed by Glitter and the timeline of events, emphasizing the victim’s account of the repeated abuse during the specified period.