John Royce, QC, prosecuting, told Bristol Crown Court that the singer was first introduced to the girl in 1976 when she was 11.

The BBC's Stephen Cape: "The allegations are nearly 20 years old"

The woman, 34, who cannot be named for legal reasons, met the singer again in 1980. Mr Royce said this was the beginning of a relationship which involved a series of assaults.

Mr Glitter is charged under his real name, Paul Francis Gadd, with four counts of indecently assaulting an underage girl in the early 1980s. He also faces four charges of serious sexual assault against the same girl.

All the offences are alleged to have taken place on dates between March 1980 and June 1982. He denies all the charges.

Gary Glitter in his trademark silver suit

Mr Royce said the sexual relationship began when the star began visiting her family in Burnham-on-Sea. He would stay at the family home, sometimes with his manager.

The woman told the jury of eight men and four women that as a girl she was "just besotted".

Mr Royce described one occasion when the singer was performing at the Webbington Country Club in Somerset, and was staying at a hotel with other band members.

He alleged the star called the girl into the bathroom and got out of the bath wearing only a towel and put his arms around her.

Mr Royce said: "That was the start of the sexual contact between the two."

On another occasion at a house in Banbury, Oxfordshire, the singer got on top of the girl.

Mr Glitter, who was 35 at the time, told the girl it was their "little secret", said Mr Royce. The woman said that during the offences, he asked her to call him "Daddy".

'Suicide threat'

He alleged that sexual contact continued at a number of locations in Somerset. He said on one occasion he sent her a cassette entitled "What yer Mama don't see yer Mama don't know".

But under cross-examination by Trevor Burke, the woman said she was paid £10,000 by the News of the World for the story of her relationship with the singer.

In the contract, she could be paid a further £25,000 by the newspaper if the star was convicted of having pornography or sex with underage girls, Mr Burke said.

The woman insisted that she decided to speak out after hearing of Mr Glitter's arrest over a well-publicised case.

She denied she had made her allegations in order to make money from the newspaper.

Glitter had relationship with Denise Van Outen, then aged 17

"My motive was to tell people the truth, to let them know," she said.

"As a parent, I understand now that people cannot do that to children. That's wrong."

Later, the prosecutor told the court that Mr Glitter had "threatened to commit suicide" if the girl finished their relationship. Mr Royce said the girl continued to be obsessed with him and he convinced her he was serious about them.

The 12-year relationship ended some time in 1991 or 1992 when the woman was about 26, she said.

"It was already broken off with Gary. He had been seeing Denise Van Outen all that time."

Mr Glitter's trial is expected to last between four and five days.

Drink problem

The divorced father-of-two, who has homes in London and in the Somerset village of Wedmore, achieved fame in the early 1970s with a series of glam rock anthems including I'm The Leader Of The Gang (I Am) and I Love You Love Me Love.

He was as well known for his trademark silver suits and platform shoes as his top 10 hits.

His career ran into difficulties in the late 1970s and Mr Glitter developed a drink problem. But he reinvented himself in the late 1980s with a series of sell-out Christmas tours and college appearances.

He has sold about 20 million records, and is reputed to be a multi-millionaire.