Ex-BBC DJ to face retrial

Former Radio 1 DJ Dave Lee Travis, whose real name is David Patrick Griffin, arrives at Southwark Crown Court in London. Picture: Suzanne Plunkett

Former Radio 1 DJ Dave Lee Travis, whose real name is David Patrick Griffin, arrives at Southwark Crown Court in London. Picture: Suzanne Plunkett

Published Feb 24, 2014

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London - Former BBC DJ Dave Lee Travis, who was cleared of 12 offences against women over three decades earlier this month, is to face a retrial on two counts on which the jury had been unable to agree, prosecutors said on Monday.

Travis, 68, will appear at Southwark Crown Court on March 28 on one charge of sexual assault and another of indecent assault.

Travis was the first ageing celebrity to go on trial as a direct result of an investigation launched after police revealed that the late Jimmy Savile, one of the BBC's top TV presenters, had been a prolific child sex offender.

Nicknamed “Hairy Cornflake” for his beard, Travis said after he was cleared of the 12 offences that he had been through a year-and-a-half of hell, had lost his reputation and had been forced to sell his house to fight the charges.

A lawyer for Travis declined to comment on the retrial.

After police launched “Operation Yewtree” in the wake of Savile's 2011 death, hundreds of people came forward with allegations against celebrities.

Critics asked why the BBC and police failed to take action years ago, but some commentators have voiced concern the investigation has become a witch-hunt against high-profile figures of the past to make up for the lack of action against Savile.

Last week, Britain's top prosecutor Alison Saunders defended the decision to bring the cases to court, arguing that the public would be “horrified” if prosecutors did not pursue historic cases of sex abuse and dismissing claims that they were over-compensating for past failures.

Reuters

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