After Savile....DLT, Freddie Starr etc.etc.

When will it all end?

 

So far the Old Bill has felt the collars of at least 14 old men. These arrests have taken place over a period of months. Nobody has yet come to trial.

 

The latest is Jim Davidson. He is accused of offences against women who were adults at the time, that go back 35 years. We are not told the nature of the offence.

 

Then there’s Max Clifford, Freddie Starr, Dave Lee Travis, and to add a bit of verisimilitude we have – yes - .Gary Glitter.

 

One of the accused , Wilfred De’Ath, a former TV producer, has been writing in The Oldie magazine about his experiences at the hands of the cops (and full marks to Richard Ingrams, his Editor, for standing by him).

 

He was arrested at 7.15 on Remembrance Sunday morning by no less than 6 police officers. His passport was taken away (such are the powers of ordinary coppers these days) and his flat searched without a warrant. The cause of the arrest was ‘historic allegations of having sexually abused a 14-year-old actress in 1965’.

 

He was locked in a cell, interviewed and finally released on bail some hours later.

 

The Red Top reptiles were waiting for him, so obviously they had been tipped-off.

 

He says that he was in a state of severe shock for the first two weeks.

 

His bail conditions involve staying in his small apartment, surrendering his passport, and making no contact with the alleged victim.

 

He has been barred from the Cambridge University Club, which seems ready to believe the allegations that he was ‘a friend of Jimmy Savile’ despite having met him only once. Guilt by association?

 

There is a number of worrying aspects to these goings-on.

 

Why is so much police time being devoted to events 30, 40 or more years ago when the prospects of a successful prosecution would appear to be light? Could it possibly be that in the witch-hunt following the Savile scandal that they felt that ‘Something Must Be Done'?

 

There is little doubt that cases this ancient will be difficult to stand up. The evidence will be stale. Witnesses may be dead or unwilling to become involved. Memories will have faded.

 

And what will be the nature of the evidence, apart from her word against his? Of course, corroborating evidence may come from eye-witness accounts, if reports of disgusting dressing room orgies are shown to be true.

 

Were complaints made at the time or within a reasonable period afterwards? If so, why was no action taken?

 

So far we have not heard any particulars of the offences.

 

Most of the arrests took place months ago. If there is strong prosecution evidence, why have the cases not been brought to trial?

 

If not, why the arrests?

 

Meanwhile we have possibly innocent old men with their reputations in ruins, suffering the mental agony of not knowing if or when their cases will be heard.