Glitter ‘abused girl, 13, in his dressing room’

Former British pop star Gary Glitter, real name Paul Gadd, arrives for his trial at Southwark Crown Court in London. Picture: AP

The teenager was forced to kiss the performer, who then put his hand up her skirt, when she was left alone in his dressing room, the court was told.

Now 70, the singer faces historic allegations from the 1970s relating to three young girls.

Southwark Crown Court heard how the young fan thought Glitter was “great” and the mother and her daughter enjoyed the hour-long show at Baileys nightclub in Watford.

The teenager was taken backstage as a “surprise” arranged by her mother’s DJ boyfriend who played at the gig.

The girl’s mother, who cannot be named, looked visibly shaken in the witness box yesterday as she recalled the evening for prosecutor John Price QC.

She said: “[My partner] came and took us down backstage and to Gary Glitter’s dressing room. [We were] just talking, doing nothing really. She was sitting on his lap. He just asked her to sit on his lap and she did.”

• Jury hears Glitter told victim: It’s our secret

Now aged 48, the victim claims Glitter, dressed in a silver sequinned jumpsuit, after asking to be left alone with her, slid his hand up her skirt.

The mother told jurors: “I honestly can’t remember if I went out of the room or stayed in the room. I’m not sure.”

On the drive home to Epsom in Surrey after the concert the girl appeared “normal” and did not reveal any alleged attack.

The alleged victim had previously told jurors how Glitter had told her to keep it a “secret”, which she had done, as she “enjoyed it” at the time.

Her mother sobbed as she recalled how her daughter kept the alleged assault a secret for decades. The revelation was made after the first news reports of Operation Yewtree, a Scotland Yard probe into historic sex crimes in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal.

FOLLOW US

Twitter | Facebook | Google+

-----------------------------------------

Subscribe to our DAILY NEWSLETTER (requires registration)

-----------------------------------------

SCOTSMAN TABLET AND MOBILE APPS

iPhone | iPad | Android | Kindle

The alleged victim’s mother added: “She told me over the phone what had happened, that Gary Glitter had abused her.”

The woman’s sister, who was too young to go to the concert at the time, was similarly kept in the dark about allegations until November 2011.

Giving evidence, she told jurors: “She went to kiss him and he tried to stick his tongue down her throat.”

During cross-examination by Sallie Bennett-Jenkins QC, representing Glitter, the sister admitted she had sent a text message to the alleged victim discussing compensation “for all the mental torture”.

Glitter appeared in the dock wearing dark glasses and a brown velvet jacket and zebra print creeper shoes. The “profoundly deaf” performer was flanked by two lip readers to help him follow proceedings.

Glitter, who was also known on-stage as Paul Raven, Rubber Bucket and Paul Monday, achieved success in the 1970s with No1 singles Leader of the Gang (I Am), I Love You Love Me Love and Always Yours.

He is accused of trying to have sex with a girl under 10 in the later 1970s.

In addition he is alleged to have had multiple sexual encounters with a female teenage fan when she was 13.

Glitter, of Marylebone, London, denies one count of attempted rape, seven of indecent assault, one of administering a drug or other substance ‘to stupefy’ in order to have sex with a girl under 13 and one of sex with a girl aged under 13.

The trial continues.