Eighth suspect arrested in Savile abuse inquiry

DETECTIVES investigating the Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal have arrested a man in his 70s, police said yesterday.

The man, from London, was held at 6:30am on suspicion of sexual offences and taken to a south London police station.

He was arrested as part of Operation Yewtree, the investigation into allegations of sex abuse surrounding Savile and others, and falls under the strand termed “Savile and others”, Scotland Yard said. The man is the eighth person to be arrested by Operation Yewtree detectives.

Other high-profile names include former pop star Gary Glitter, comedian Freddie Starr and publicist Max Clifford.

On Monday, Starr and Clifford were re-bailed to return on dates in February and March pending further inquiries.

Glitter, whose real is Paul Gadd, and a man in his 70s, reported to be former television producer Wilfred De’Ath, were previously re-bailed to dates in February. Last week, police said a total of 31 allegations of rape have been made against Savile so far.

Some 589 people have come forward with information relating to the scandal, with a total of 450 complaints against the late BBC presenter and DJ himself, mainly alleging sexual abuse, Scotland Yard said.

Ten weeks after the launch of Operation Yewtree, police have recorded 199 crimes in 17 force areas in which Savile is a suspect, with 31 allegations of rape recorded against him in seven force areas.