Paedophile pop star Gary Glitter will be released from prison early next year, according to a report.

The 78-year-old, whose real name is Paul Gadd, was jailed for 16 years for attempted rape, unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 13, and four counts of indecent assault in 2015.

The Sun newspaper said on Friday it was told by Ministry of Justice sources that Glitter would be released as early as February 2023.

The source said: “The nature of his determinate sentence means the case won’t go to the Parole Board.

“It simply means that as soon as his sentence is over, he is free to walk out of the prison gates.”

An offender who is convicted of a sexual offence is released on a strict licence.

The terms of the licence can include staying in an approved premise, obeying a curfew and having GPS tagging, not having unsupervised contact with children and restrictions on internet usage.

Victims’ families can also be protected from unwanted contact through exclusion zones being set up.

If offenders breach the conditions, the Probation Service can recall them to prison.

A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman told the PA news agency: “Sex offenders released from prison are closely monitored by both the police and the Probation Service and may be recalled to jail if they breach their strict licence conditions.”

Glitter found fame in the 1970s as part of the glam rock scene, scoring number one hits with I’m The Leader Of The Gang (I Am), I Love You Love Me Love and Always Yours.

He suffered a spectacular fall from grace in 1999 when he admitted possessing child pornography images, and was sentenced to four months in jail.

In 2002, he was expelled from Cambodia over unspecified allegations and, in March 2006, he was convicted of sexually abusing two girls, aged 10 and 11, in Vietnam.