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DLT cleared of most indecent assault charges against him

By | Published on Friday 14 February 2014

Dave Lee Travis

Former Radio 1 DJ Dave Lee Travis was yesterday cleared of a number of indecent assault charges that were made against him in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal.

As previously reported, Travis, real name David Griffin, was originally questioned by police in late 2012 as part of the ongoing Operation Yewtree police investigation which was sparked by those accusations against the late Savile. Following DLT’s initial arrest, more women came forward, increasing the number of alleged victims to eleven – the youngest fifteen at the time she claimed to have been assaulted. Travis always strongly denied all the charges against him.

At the end of a much publicised trial – in which DLT was portrayed by different ex-colleagues as both a sinister chauvinist who routinely sexually harassed the women he worked with and a loveable larger-than-life radio man who often greeted friends with a hug – the radio veteran was cleared of nine of the charges against him, including the incident allegedly involving a fifteen year old girl. The jury failed to reach a verdict on two other charges which may require a retrial.

Speaking outside the court, Travis said the allegations had led to eighteen months of hell during which he and his wife had had to sell their home to pay for legal bills. He told reporters: “First of all, I’m not over the moon about any of this today. I don’t feel there’s a victory in any way shape or form. On the contrary, I’ve been through a year and a half of hell with this, which includes costing me so much money to pay for my part of this trial, proving the point that not all famous people have got loads in the bank, so I had to sell my house to do it. That’s OK because I know there’s a lot of people who are worse off than me”.

He continued: “I did lose my reputation as well, which I may try get back later. I want to say I had two trials: one by media and one by crown court, and I have to say in all honesty that I preferred trial by crown court. All I want to do now is go home, relax with my wife and daughter, who has also been suffering with me”.

The DJ’s legal reps said their client was the victim of a witch hunt that followed the various Jimmy Savile revelations, and that police and prosecutors had pursued unnecessary prosecutions in a bid to make up for their failures to respond to Savile’s crimes while he was alive.

DLT was working for Bauer’s Magic AM when the allegations first surfaced and was subsequently dropped from the station. It remains to be seen if he makes his way back behind a mic anytime soon, though what now happens regarding the remaining two charges may have an impact on that.



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