On the contrary, it had to be done in the context of an obviously guilty man otherwise it would have swayed things too far into the 'it's a bad thing' camp.
The start of the show put it into the context of public outcry after the Soham murders coupled with a law making Brits accountable for their crimes overseas resulted in Glitter's offenses being punishable by death.
It has actually changed my mind on the death penalty, I am now against it. That show showed me that no matter what the individual did we lose a part of ourselves if we stoop to that level. The glitter character didn't shock me, the dispassionate behaviour of those passing sentance and doing the deed did.
As human beings we are all fundamentally flawed, it should not be our societies place to say who lives and dies.