Arrest made in Jimmy Savile police probe

Published on 05/02/2013 08:44

A 65-year-old man has been arrested by detectives investigating allegations linked to Jimmy Savile and others.

• Man falls under the ‘others’ strand of the Operation Yewtree investigation

• Arrest was made at a South London address on Tuesday mornings

• Allegations relating to arrest not directly linked to Savile

The man was arrested at an address in south London this morning on suspicion of sexual offences and is now in police custody.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “He falls under the strand of the investigation we have termed ‘others’. We are not prepared to discuss the matter further.”

The allegations related to today’s arrest are not directly linked to Savile.

Scotland Yard is leading a national investigation, called Operation Yewtree, into allegations against disgraced television presenter Savile and a number of other high-profile figures.

They have separated the inquiry into three strands: claims against Savile, those involving Savile and others, and those involving others.

Most of the allegations relating to “others” have been made against people associated with the entertainment industry, including ex-glam rocker Gary Glitter and comedian Freddie Starr.

So far, some 589 people have come forward with information relating to the scandal, with 450 of them alleging they were sexually abused by former Top of the Pops presenter Savile. Of those making complaints about the late DJ, 73 per cent were children at the time of the offences.

A report released last month revealed that Savile’s victims included an eight-year-old boy and children who were seriously ill.

Branded one of the UK’s most prolific known sexual predators, Savile now has 214 criminal offences recorded against his name, including 34 rapes.