Gary Glitter reference removed from music GCSE paper

A reference to a Gary Glitter hit will be removed from this year's GCSE music coursework paper.

As previously reported, one of Glitter's tracks had been included on the music GCSE exam paper as related listening.

The government stated it was "totally unacceptable" to include the song on the paper and now exam board AQA will recall the paper and issue a new one without any references to Glitter's 1973 Number One hit ' 'I'm The Leader Of The Gang (I Am!)'.

A spokeswoman for the AQAtold BBC News: "We regret any offence that has been caused by its inclusion, and we will be contacting our centres and recalling the paper."

Dr John Dunford, general secretary of the Association Of School And College Leaders, added: "Schools registered with this examination board depend on the board to choose appropriate texts, and will have been dismayed at the choice of a Gary Glitter song. No teacher should be in the position of having to discuss this man's work with the young people in their class, and all teachers will have rejected the idea of using this material."

He concluded: "I welcome the withdrawal of this song, which should never have been included in the first place."

Glitter was convicted of molesting young girls in Vietnam, and served close to three years in prison there before returning to Britain.

He is on the sex offenders' register.