Convicted paedophile and former rocker Gary Glitter was released from a jail in Britain

on Friday after serving half of a 16-year sentence.

The 79-year-old singer –- who had a string of chart hits in the 1970s

was convicted in 2015 for sexually abusing three schoolgirls.

He was freed from the low-security jail in Portland, southern England

automatically after serving half his sentence, the PA news agency reported.

He will now be subject to licence conditions applicable to all convicted sex offenders,

whose real name is Paul Gadd, was convicted of one count of attempted rape