London - British "glam rocker" Gary Glitter, jailed last year for collecting hardcore child pornography, was released from prison on Tuesday in a secret operation after receiving anonymous death threats.
Glitter, who has served half of a four-month sentence, was escorted from Bristol's Horfield Prison to an undisclosed location before being released.
Prison officials said special arrangements had to be made after the fallen star received at least one death threat and several threatening letters while in jail.
Glitter, 55, had been housed in the healthcare centre of the prison during his term because of concerns for his safety.
All prisoners given sentences of fewer than four years only serve half their term. Glitter - whose hits include "I'm the Leader of the Gang, I Am" and "Rock and Roll Part 2" - will remain under supervision for at least the next month.
Britain's top-selling Sun tabloid said on Monday that Glitter had sold his home in Somerset in southwestern England and was planning a move to Cuba. His arrest in 1997 came when he returned from a holiday to the Caribbean island.
Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, was convicted in November of possessing thousands of sexually explicit images of children he had downloaded from the Internet but was cleared of eight charges of indecent assault and sodomy dating from 1980. - Reuters