Walsh assault claim dropped

X Factor judge Louis Walsh welcomed the news yesterday that Irish police have dropped an investigation into an accusation of an alleged indecent assault.

The music mogul was commenting as it emerged that a 24-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of knowingly making a false report to the Gardai.

He was detained in Navan town and was taken to Dublin city centre for questioning. The penalty for such an offence ranges from a €500 (£448) fine to five years in jail.

Walsh said it had been a "hugely distressing time" and he was pursuing legal action over publication of the story.

Walsh has managed the boy bands Boyzone and Westlife and has been on The X Factor since 2004.