Comedian Jim Davidson arrested as part of Yewtree sex abuse inquiries
Thursday, January 3, 2013
British comedian and TV presenter Jim Davidson was arrested yesterday as part of Operation Yewtree, the sex abuse investigation started following accusations against deceased entertainer Jimmy Savile. Police said the arrest of Davidson was not directly connected to the accusations against Savile.
Davidson has been released on bail until March. Henri Brandman, Davidson's solicitor, said the complaints against Davidson stem from two women who were adults when the abuse was alleged to have occurred.
Brandman said: "The complainants were then in their mid-20s. Jim vigorously denies the allegations. He answered police questions as fully as he was able after this passage of time. He has not been charged with any offence. Neither he nor I will be making any further comment."
As a result of the arrest, Davidson has pulled out of appearing in Celebrity Big Brother. The host of the show, Brian Dowling, stated before the arrest that if Davidson were to appear on the show, he would treat him with "the same respect as I'd give any of the housemates" despite Davidson previously calling the openly gay Dowling a "shirt lifter" and a "fucking disgrace" on an episode of Hell's Kitchen.
Sources
- Martin Evans. "Jim Davidson pulls out of Celebrity Big Brother after abuse allegations" — The Daily Telegraph, January 3, 2013
- "Jim Davidson 'Vigorously' Denies Sex Claims" — Sky News, January 3, 2013
- "Jim Davidson released on bail by sex abuse inquiry police" — BBC News Online, January 2, 2013
- Matthew Jenkin. "Celebrity Big Brother host Brian Dowling will 'respect' anti-gay Jim Davidson" — Gay Star News, January 2, 2013