Ex-Rock Star Released After Half of 16-Year Sentence for Schoolgirl Abuse
Paul Gadd Out After Eight Years in Dorset Jail
Paul Gadd, better known as the disgraced former rock star, has been freed after serving half of his 16-year prison sentence for sexually abusing three schoolgirls.
Sentenced in 2015, the now 79-year-old was released last Friday from HMP The Verne, a low-security category C prison in Portland, Dorset. He remains under strict licence restrictions.
Past Crimes Shattered Celebrity Facade
Once at the height of his fame, Gadd preyed on vulnerable victims who felt powerless against a celebrity’s influence. He sexually assaulted two girls aged just 12 and 13 after luring them backstage and isolating them from their mothers.
In an even darker episode, in 1975 he attempted to rape a third victim, who was under ten years old, by creeping into her bed.
Conviction Linked to Operation Yewtree Probe
The horrific abuse only came to light some 40 years later when Gadd became the first arrest under Operation Yewtree. The Metropolitan Police launched the investigation in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal.
Previously, Gadd served part of his sentence at HMP Albany on the Isle of Wight before transferring to Dorset.
