Freddie Starr denies Jimmy Savile show girl claim

Comedian Freddie Starr has denied any wrongdoing after claims that he groped a teenager following the recording of one of Sir Jimmy Savile's show.

One of Savile's accusers claimed in an interview that Starr was present in the TV presenter's dressing room in the 1970s and touched her.

Starr initially denied ever being on one of Savile's shows when the claim came to light last week as numerous women came forward to make allegations about the late Top Of The Pops host.

But footage has since been found showing Starr on Savile's show Clunk Click, sitting just inches from Karin Ward, who was 14 at the time of the recording.

Starr's lawyer has conceded that he was "mistaken" about his presence at the show but "vigorously" denied the suggestion that he had groped the schoolgirl.

The footage from the BBC show was screened by Channel 4 News, but lawyer Dean Dunham told the programme: "Freddie is now 69 and cannot be expected to recollect every show that he has appeared on and to remember every person that he has met.

"When the allegation made by Karin Ward was put to him, Freddie's first reaction was that he would never grope a woman and never has."

He said Starr had no recollection of appearing on the show or of meeting Ms Ward.

In a statement, he went on: "It would now appear from seeing footage of a Clunk Click show aired in 1974 that in fact Freddie was mistaken and therefore that he had in fact been on a Jimmy Savile show.

"However, this does not detract away from the fact that Freddie vigorously denies the awful allegation that has been made by Karin Ward, which, despite this footage, is still totally unsupported and uncorroborated by any other evidence."

PA