Gary Glitter has appeared in court to face allegations that he carried out a string of sex attacks on two girls.

The former pop star, who appeared under his real name Paul Gadd, is charged with eight sex offences against girls aged under 16 in the late 1970s and early 80s.

The allegations include claims that he plied one of the girls with alcohol so he could have sex with her.

Dressed in a beige three-piece suit, pink shirt, cream scarf and wearing tinted glass, Glitter spoke only to confirm his name, age and address during a brief hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.

He was wearing a Panama hat, which he removed before the start of the hearing. He spoke slowly in a clear voice and spelled out his surname.

The 70-year-old listened through a hearing loop in the dock as the case was adjourned until a hearing at Southwark Crown Court on July 3.

Judge Emma Arbuthnot bailed him until that date.

The deputy chief magistrate asked his defence barrister, Christopher Ware, about the defendant wearing sunglasses. He said his client had a “medical condition”.

He is accused of “administering a drug, namely alcohol, to obtain intercourse”, and one count of unlawful sexual intercourse with an under-age girl between the same dates.

He is also charged with two counts of indecent assault between October 1, 1979 and December 31, 1980 involving the second complainant.