The China Mail - Child abuser Gary Glitter freed from UK jail

The 79-year-old singer –- who had a string of chart hits in the 1970s –- was convicted in 2015 for sexually abusing three schoolgirls.

He was freed from the low-security jail in Portland, southern England, automatically after serving half his sentence, the PA news agency reported.

He will now be subject to licence conditions applicable to all convicted sex offenders, it said.

Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, was convicted of one count of attempted rape, four counts of indecent assault and one count of sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of 13.

Glitter was at the height of his fame when he attacked his victims, and investigators said he targeted young girls who were in awe of him.

The singer was first jailed in 1999 when he admitted possessing 4,000 images of child pornography.

He was deported from Cambodia in 2002 and convicted in Vietnam in 2006 of sexually abusing two girls, for which he was sentenced to three years in jail.

On returning to Britain, Glitter was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

He was first arrested as part of the Metropolitan Police's "Operation Yewtree", launched in the wake of historical sex abuse claims against late BBC star Jimmy Savile.

Glitter shot to fame in the 1970s and had over 20 hit singles including "I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am)", "I Love You Love Me Love" and "Come On Come In Get On".

R.Yeung--ThChM