Roger Daltrey Says Gary Glitter Needs Help

The Who singer Roger Daltrey says disgraced rock star Gary Glitter needs help not condemnation.

Glitter, 61, was last week charged with committing obscene acts with two girls aged 10 and 11. Six years ago he was convicted in Britain of possessing child pornography.

Daltrey, whose bandmate Pete Townshend was arrested for accessing child porn on the Internet in 2003, expressed sympathy for Glitter during an interview with Mojo magazine.

He said: "It's hard, because as much as I abhor it, I can only as a human being think it must be awful for these people to be trapped in that head...

"I don't know what the answer is. I don't know if the way we treat it in this society is the right way to treat it.

"Can you imagine what it might be like? It's not a choice to them.

"There's a lot of gunfire, but not a lot of help. And let's be honest - that's what these people need - help."

Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, worked with The Who on their 1996 live Quadrophenia shows.

Daltrey was a staunch defender of Townshend when the guitarist was arrested as part of Operation Ore in 2003.

Townshend was cautioned and had his name placed on the sex offenders' register after admitting once using his credit card to access child pornography, but insisted he was only looking at the site while conducting "research" into child sex abuse.