Jimmy Savile inquiry detectives question man in his 80s from Berkshire

A man in his 80s has become the latest person to be questioned by detectives investigating the Jimmy Savile abuse scandal.

Scotland Yard said the man, who is from Berkshire, was interviewed by appointment at a south London police station today on suspicion of sexual offences.

He left the police station shortly after 5pm.

The interview followed a search of an address in Berkshire on Saturday by officers from the Metropolitan Police’s Operation Yewtree, which was set up to investigate allegations surrounding the late television presenter and others.

The man, who has not been named, was questioned in relation to part of the investigation that does not directly relate to Jimmy Savile, Scotland Yard said last night.

“He was interviewed by officers working on Operation Yewtree under the strand of the investigation we have termed ‘others’,” said a Metropolitan Police spokesman. “We are not prepared to discuss further.”

Previously, four arrests had been made as part of the national investigation into alleged sexual offences by Savile and others.

The musician Gary Glitter and the comedian Freddie Starr have already been arrested and bailed. The former BBC Radio 1 DJ Dave Lee Travis and a man in his 70s were arrested and bailed earlier this month.

Officers on Operation Yewtree are pursuing more than 400 lines of inquiry, and hundreds of potential abuse victims have already been identified. The investigation was established to examine allegations about “living people”.

“We are dealing with alleged abuse on an unprecedented scale,” said the unit’s commander, Peter Spindler, in October.

He added: “The profile of this operation has empowered a staggering number of victims to come forward to report the sexual exploitation which occurred during their childhood.”