Freddie Starr 2nd British celebrity arrested in Savile scandal
Woman claims Freddie Starr molested her when she was 14 backstage at a show hosted by Savile
The child abuse scandal consuming the legacy of the late entertainer Jimmy Savile has netted its second celebrity arrest as police swooped on British comedian Freddie Starr.
Scotland Yard said late on Thursday that a man in his 60s from the English county of Warwickshire had been arrested on suspicion of sexual assault and released on bail. It did not name the suspect, but most British media identified him as Starr. Police said yesterday that the suspect had been released on bail.
They refused to answer any questions about the arrest, but the development had been widely anticipated. Starr himself volunteered to speak to police after being accused of having groped the woman whose claims are at the centre of the Savile scandal.
Starr, a 1970s variety show favourite known for his good looks and roguish humour, had previously denied any wrongdoing. "Never would I go with an underage girl," he told the BBC last month. "Never, ever, ever."
Starr stands accused by Karin Ward, who says she was 14 when the comedian "had a very bad attack of wandering hands" when the pair were backstage at a television show hosted by Savile in the 1970s.
Ward's claims have received particular attention because she was the first alleged victim of Savile to speak publicly. Her allegations helped touch off an avalanche of sex abuse claims against the BBC star, resulting in a scandal that has pulverised Savile's reputation, rocked the BBC and horrified Britons.
