Savile: Freddie Starr Offers To Talk To Police

Comedian Freddie Starr has said he is prepared to speak to police in connection with abuse allegations made against Jimmy Savile.

Mr Starr, who strongly denies any wrongdoing, appeared with Savile on an episode of the BBC television show Clunk Click in 1974 alongside a 14-year-old girl who has accused him of molesting her.

Ms Ward had told ITV she had been "horribly humiliated" by Starr, adding he had a "bad attack of wandering hands" when she met him.

Starr denied touching Karin Ward inappropriately and denied meeting her on the show. His lawyer issued a statement claiming he had been mistaken and he had appeared on the programme after all.

"Mr Starr cannot be expected to recollect every show that he has appeared on and to remember every person that he has ever met," he said.

"In respect of Karin Ward this was not a name that Freddie could remember and therefore had no recollection of meeting her.

"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."

Speaking outside his home, the 69-year-old comedian said: "I have said from the word go that I wanted to be interviewed. I have always said that I wanted to be interviewed.

"I have got the press phoning me up to ask if I have been interviewed. I got sick of it. Everybody, the press, the police, people at the BBC, they knew that things were going on with Jimmy Savile.

"Everybody is guilty of this. You can put the finger on everybody at the BBC and the fella's (George Entwistle) only been in the job for four months. This fellow was at school when all this was happening."

A spokeswoman for Mr Starr said: "Freddie is prepared to be interviewed by the police, but his lawyer has been in touch with the person heading the investigation and they have no intention of questioning him.

"I asked him the direct question whether the police wished to question Mr Starr as we had heard from the Press that such questioning was imminent.

"(The officer) replied in writing 'We have said nothing of the sort. There has been much inaccurate speculation on such matters but should that be considered in the future I have cc'd in the Senior Investigating Officer so he is aware of your details.'

"It would therefore appear clear that the police currently have no intention to question Mr Starr who has continually denied the allegation made by Karin Ward.

"We have always maintained there is absolutely no corroborating evidence to support such a wild allegation. The confirmation from the police today that there is no intention to question Mr Starr at present supports this."

Scotland Yard declined to comment on the claims.

Mr Starr's announcement comes as news emerged that at least seven alleged victims of Jimmy Savile made complaints of sexual abuse against Savile while he was still alive.

Scotland Yard has admitted four police forces were aware in the 1980s of claims against the former TV presenter and DJ.

The first of the seven claims was made in the 1980s by a young girl, who said she had been subjected to an indecent assault at BBC TV Centre.