‘Worrying weaknesses’ at the 19th-century fortress prison where Gary Glitter was held

A prison holding Gary Glitter and hundreds of other sex offenders is failing to challenge their criminal behaviour, a watchdog has warned.

Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor said there were “worrying weaknesses” at HMP The Verne, which did not run behavioral programs for offenders.

A “severely understaffed and overloaded” team of staff also meant that high-risk prisoners could spend years behind bars without “any challenge” over their “dangerous” behaviour, according to a report published on Monday.

Some officers even said they did not want to know what crimes the inmates had committed because they “felt it could hurt their response.”

This meant some staff at the low-security prison in Dorset were “unaware of what mirror behavior prisoners might have manifested” and so could not fully contribute to parole hearings, the findings said.

Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, is among more than 600 sex offenders serving time in Portland’s 19th-century former citadel.

Earlier this year, the 80-year-old was ordered to pay more than half a million pounds in damages after being sued by one of his victims.

The High Court heard he was returned to The Verne after losing his last parole, having been temporarily transferred to another prison.

The disgraced pedophile pop singer was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2015 for sexually abusing three schoolgirls between 1975 and 1980. But he was released in 2023 – only to end up back behind bars six weeks later after walking free. when police surveillance revealed that he had violated his rules of conduct. license terms by allegedly attempting to access the dark web and view downloaded images of children.

Although his sentence expires in February 2031 – by which time he could be 86 years old – a former head of Scotland Yard’s Pedophile Unit previously suggested he would likely die in prison after being recalled.

Mike Hames said the 1970s glam rock star would always be a danger to children and it was appropriate to return him to custody.

Outlining the findings of an inspection in July, Mr Taylor said in his report: “While HMP The Verne was generally a safe and respectful prison, this report also reveals some worrying failings in tackling the abusive behavior of many prisoners.

“With no offending behavior programs on offer (although we were later told these would now be funded) and a severely understaffed and overburdened offender treatment unit, it was possible for high-risk prisoners to spend years in prison without any challenge or support. to change their thinking or dangerous behavior.

“It was concerning that despite having a relatively permanent team of staff, only 2% had completed HM Prison and Rebation Service online training in the past year for working with prisoners convicted of sexual offenses (PCoSOs).

“Officers also told inspectors that they did not want to know what offenses individuals had committed as they believed this might influence their response.

“As a result, they were unaware of what mirroring behavior might have manifested by inmates and were unable to contribute more sophisticated analysis to inmate managers prior to parole hearings.”

As a Category C training prison, The Verne’s focus “should be on providing prisoners with the skills and understanding to avoid reoffending and settle successfully upon release,” he said.

While Mr Taylor said the announcement during the inspection that “funding has been found to implement offending behavior programs in the prison should be a spur to leaders to revitalize the prison, train staff and do much more to tackle the abusive behavior of prisoners,” he added. that the “fact that it took so long for this money to come out of the prison, while providing funding for a substance-free housing unit, despite few inmates having drug problems, was a questionable use of resources.”

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “The new government has inherited prisons in crisis and has taken immediate action to ensure we can lock up dangerous offenders, protect the public and make prisons safer for hardworking staff.

“Since this inspection, HMP The Verne has taken action to address the concerns raised, including additional training for staff and improved access to employment and education opportunities for prisoners.”