All That Glitters

Like many people I heard the news reports earlier today announcing that Gary Glitter - the former pop star and convicted sex offender - is 'helping police with their enquiries' into the Jimmy Savile affair.

Now like every other sensible citizen I welcomed this development - but after a second or two I thought to myself - 'How come the story leaked out so quickly?'

Then everything became clear - it was a put up job by the police themselves.

Because a short time later a photograph of Gary Glitter (real name Paul Gadd) appeared on Sky News - as he left his London home to be interviewed in a local police station.

What a happy coincidence that the happy 'snapper' happened to be in just the right place at just the right time - I wonder what odds you would get on that from the bookies?

A Scotland Yard spokesman later said:

"Officers working on Operation Yewtree have today arrested a man in his 60s in connection with the investigation.

The man, from London, was arrested at approximately 7.15am on suspicion of sexual offences, and has been taken into custody at a London police station.

The individual falls under the strand of the investigation we have termed 'Savile and others'."

Now I have no time for the likes of Gary Glitter, but it seems to me that this latest stunt is nore more than handy distraction - portraying the police as if they are on the case and hunting down their man.

When, in fact, the police in the UK have been aware of the allegations swirling around Jimmy Savile for years - yet authorities at various levels took no action - while Savile's celebrity status went into complete overdrive. 

And it was the police in Vietnam who finally nailed Gary Glitter and exposed him as a low-life paedophile - not the Old Bill in the UK.

Now there are no easy answers to all of this - 20/20 hindsight is such a wonderful thing.

But I would say that things are not helped in any way - by the police engaging in these cheap publicity stunts.