65-year-old man held in Jimmy Savile investigation

Police investigating allegations linked to Jimmy Savile and others have arrested a 65-year-old man.

The man, who has not been named, was arrested at an address in south London earlier 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% 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.