The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

Reports: Freddie Starr arrested in Savile abuse probe

Posted: 01 Nov 2012 05:32 PM PDT

LONDON: British comedian Freddie Starr was arrested on Thursday by police investigating sexual abuse allegations against the late TV star Jimmy Savile, media reports said.

Police said they had arrested a man in his 60s on suspicion of sexual offences. The BBC and Sky News named him as Starr, who has previously denied claims that he groped one of Savile's alleged victims.

He becomes the second person arrested in the investigation after former glam rocker Gary Glitter was held and then bailed on Sunday.

Starr found fame as a comedian in the 1970s and is best known as the subject of one of the most memorable headlines in British newspaper history, when The Sun ran the 1986 front-page splash: "Freddie Starr Ate My Hamster".

"Officers working on Operation Yewtree have this evening, Thursday 1 November, arrested a man in his 60s in connection with the investigation," police investigating the Savile claims said in a statement.

"The man, from Warwickshire (in central England), was arrested at approximately 17.45 hrs (GMT) on suspicion of sexual offences, and has been taken into police custody locally.

"The individual falls under the strand of the investigation we have termed 'Savile and others'. We are not prepared to discuss further."

The arrest follows claims by a woman who has publicly accused Savile of abusing her that Starr touched her while they were both in a BBC dressing room in the 1970s, when she was just 14.

The 69-year-old comedian denied this and in a television interview last month, said he wanted to speak to police to clear his name.

"I would never, ever, ever touch an underage girl," Starr said, and branded Savile "despicable". He urged police to contact him over what he described as "false accusations".

Savile, who died last year aged 84 after a long career in British television and radio, has been accused of abusing around 300 victims over a 40-year period at a number of institutions, including the BBC and three hospitals.

The scandal has snowballed since claims that Savile molested underage girls were aired in a television documentary last month, leading to the arrests of Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, and now Starr.

NatWest bank said Thursday it had frozen Savile's estate, which the Financial Times said was worth 4.3 million ($6.9 million, 5.3 million euros). Of this, 3.7 million was to be held by NatWest on behalf of Savile's charitable trust.

Lawyers representing Savile's alleged victims are expected to sue for damages. - AFP

The Red Zone comes to the rescue

Posted: 02 Nov 2012 05:34 AM PDT

Besides listening to good music, you could pick up tech tips from Jeremy on his show.

YOU are in the office and your day is turning a little dull. Fret not, as The Red Zone (Monday to Friday, 10am-1pm) comes to the rescue.

Jeremy, who plays host, keeps you entertained with his fun and quirky personality. The first hour of his show is filled with music and better yet, without ads! He focuses on the latest music that listeners would enjoy.

He enjoys listening to Adele and Taylor Swift, in particularly, because he enjoys hearing about people's break-ups, which offer a whole range of emotions.

On a lighter note, segments like Little Bit on The Red Zone features jokes and quirky – sometimes lame – riddles because Jeremy wants his listeners to not take themselves too seriously when their day has just begun. He also loves to share hilarious bits he finds on the Internet.

It doesn't stop there, Jeremy offers you the latest gadget information, but it is not all about pretentious jargons. He makes techy information accessible to everyday people.

Every fortnight, he brings in Stuff magazine's editor Nigel Yap to share the latest scoop in the tech world and also answer queries about the cluttered tech world.

"I am a product of the 21st century. I am a consumer of technology of all that is new and cool. I embrace what makes life, yours in particular, more relaxed and interesting," says Jeremy.

So, tune in to The Red Zone and let Jeremy keep you entertained.

For more information, log on to red.fm. Join the Red FM Malaysia Facebook fan page at facebook.com/redfm.my and follow them on Twitter @iloveredfm.

Red FM is owned and operated by The Star.

Red FM's station frequencies: Taiping, Kedah, Perlis and Pulau Langkawi: 98.1FM; George Town and Seberang Prai: 107.6FM; Ipoh, Perak: 106.4FM; Klang Valley, Negri Sembilan and Tapah: 104.9FM; Kuantan, Pahang: 91.6FM; Batu Pahat and Malacca: 98.9FM; Johor Baru and Singapore: 92.8FM.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Khamis, 1 November 2012