Jimmy Savile 1973 - P 2012
Hulton ArchiveLONDON – A former driver for the BBC has become the first suspect charged under Operation Yewtree, a formal criminal investigation into the former Top of The Pops presenter Jimmy Savile.
David Smith, who drove for BBC personalities in the 1980s, is charged on five counts including being accused of committing buggery with a boy under the age of 16 in July 1984.
The Crown Prosecution Service issued a statement Wednesday that said Smith has also been charged with two counts of indecent assault and two offenses of gross indecency on a boy under the age of 14.
Each of these incidents relate to one alleged victim and are said to have taken place between June 1 and July 21, 1984.
Smith, 66, was arrested on Dec. 10, 2012, the CPS said.
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He will appear at a central London magistrates’ court May 8 to face the charges.
Alison Saunders, the chief crown prosecutor for the CPS, said her service carefully considered the evidence gathered as part of Operation Yewtree in relation to Smith, who was employed as a driver at the time of the allegations.
“The CPS received a file of evidence on 21 December 2012. Further enquiries were necessary and the result of those enquiries was received by the CPS on 18 March,” Smith said.
“We have concluded, in accordance with the code for crown prosecutors, that there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction, and that it is in the public interest for David Smith to be charged with five offences.”
Eleven men, including the comedians and former British TV stalwarts Freddie Starr and Jim Davidson, have been arrested and bailed since Operation Yewtree was launched last year.
Others held include the singer Gary Glitter, publicist Max Clifford and DJ Dave Lee Travis.
Davidson, Clifford, Starr and Travis have all denied allegations of sexual offenses.
Each of the arrests fall under the strand of Operation Yewtree termed “others,” meaning that the offenses are not alleged to involve Savile.
