It is rarely that I disagree with Clifford Longley (7 March), but as a retired probation officer with 30 years’ experience, I am dismayed by his attitude to Paul Gadd (better known as Gary Glitter). When working in one of our local prisons, I was required to prepare a parole report on a wheelchair using prisoner who was over 80 years of age. After a long history of violence and incarceration in a secure psychiatric hospital from which he escaped, he had settled in an old person’s bungalow on an estate. He appeared to be vulnerable and fairly helpless so some local mothers encouraged their children to do a bit of shopping for him. This was until they discovered the opportunity this gave him to abuse the children.As a part of my assessment for my report I requested an examinatio