Facebook fans should take down paedophile Gary Glitter’s page

Organisers of a fallen pop idol’s online fan page have today hit-back at critics after his arrest in connection with a child abuse investigation that the boss of the BBC has described as a "tsunami of filth". Gary Glitter’s Ganghouse Facebook page posted the message: “Innocent or guilty…his songs remain the same” hours after police took their hero into custody for questioning. The 1970s "glam rock" pop star, aged 68 – real name Paul Gadd – has been convicted of a string of sexual offences involving children as young as 11, in the UK and Far East.

He was jailed in 1999, after police found more than 2,000 images of children being sexually abused on his laptop. Glitter is alleged  to have had sex with an underaged female fan in the BBC dressing room of the late TV celebrity Jimmy Savile whose offences against more than 300 young victims has been described by the broadcaster's chief Lord Patten as a "tsunami of filth". Some of the crimes took place in hospitals and children's homes.

Glitter's Facebook page, styled as “An Online community for the gang”, calls him “one of the greatest showmen of any musical era”. And bemoans the fact that his music cannot be found on radio or in record stores and he “receives no credit” for his achievements…because he was convicted of possessing child pornography, and molesting two underage girls”.

The site pleads: “He has served two prison sentences…but the media insist on punishing him further, by robbing him of his musical legacy.”

What about the children Glitter has violated and robbed of their childhood?

The-Latest says, well done the media. All journalists are doing, in this case, is fulfilling their role as the eyes and ears of the public by exposing wrong-doing by the rich and famous, no matter how many misguided fans still idolise them.

Rightly, the family of ex-BBC star Jimmy Savile, bowed to public revulsion at the man’s years of unpunished predatory crimes against young boys and girls he used his fame to abuse and took down the monumental headstone on his grave. Glitter’s fans should do the same thing with his Facebook page. Shame on them that it has 2,570 “Likes”.

It’s clear the dwindling bunch of Glitter hero worshippers are scared of public opinion because they warn on the Facebook site in capital letters: “ANY ABUSIVE COMMENTS WILL BE DELETED”.

If  they don’t take down their internet monument to Glitter, the fans will be in the same category as apologist for pop star paedophiles, Max Clifford. The former music industry PR who has made his millions peddling the sleazy stories of his celebrity clients to the gutter press, was quoted as saying, as a reaction to the huge scandal engulfing the BBC, that celebrities in the 1960s and 1970s didn’t ask girls for their birth certificates. 

Clifford said on Saturday that up to 15 celebrities had approached him, fearful that their sexual exploits in the 1960s and 1970s might lead to them being caught up in the police inquiry. He should hand their names to the police.

The apologists for crimes against children have a lot to answer for. At least, for once, the British government has done the right thing by putting Glitter on the register of sex offenders for life and banning him from ever again travelling abroad.