Gary Glitter returned to custody after breaching licence conditions

Former pop star Gary Glitter, real name Paul Gadd (John Stillwell/PA)

Paedophile pop star Gary Glitter has been recalled to prison following a breach of his licence conditions.

The 79-year-old, who had a string of chart hits in the 1970s, had been freed in February after being jailed in 2015 for sexually abusing three schoolgirls.

He left HMP The Verne – a low security category C jail in Portland, Dorset – following eight years behind bars, having served half of his 16-year sentence.

Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, was subject to licence conditions on his release, including being closely monitored by the police and Probation Service and fitted with a GPS tag.

A Probation Service spokesperson said: “Protecting the public is our number one priority. That’s why we set tough licence conditions and when offenders breach them, we don’t hesitate to return them to custody.”