Dave Lee Travis arrested again over further sex claims

Senior prosecutor claims new wave of high-profile arrests would take place in the coming weeks linked to historic sex abuse cases

Dave Lee Travis spoke outside his home near Leighton Buzzard (PA)

Dave Lee Travis, the former Radio 1 DJ, has been questioned for a second time by officers after new allegations of sex offences came to light following his original arrest in November.

Mr Travis was re-arrested when he answered his bail on Monday by officers from Operation Yewtree, the inquiry set up to investigate the scale of Jimmy Savile’s grooming and abuse of victims.

The development came as a senior prosecutor claimed that a new wave of high-profile arrests would take place in the coming weeks linked to historic sex abuse cases.

“This is a growing industry,” said Nazir Afzal, the chief crown prosecutor for the northwest. “There are more arrests scheduled over the next few weeks. Some are very high-profile figures.”

About 600 people came forward with information following the launch of Yewtree in October last year, with three-quarters of those related to Savile, Scotland Yard said in January.

A team of 30 detectives were working on three strands of the inquiry that related to Savile, him working with others and third strand of those unconnected to the late presenter.

PR consultant Max Clifford and comedian Freddie Starr have been among those arrested during the inquiry under the strand of “others” along with Mr Travis. They all deny wrongdoing.

Mr Travis, 67, was first arrested in November and denied being questioned about child sex offences. Speaking outside his home in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, he said: “The point I want to make here is that none of the things I've been talking to the police about, or have talked to them about, is to do with children.“

In a separate case, police arrested a 70-year-old man over historic sex abuse allegations at a school in Kent for children with emotional and behavioural problems. The arrest was the fourth during an inquiry into previously unreported sex abuse claims at the Swaylands School, in Penshurst, between 1967 and 1993. Three other identified suspects died before the investigation was launched, police said.

Two men were jailed in 1994 for sex offences at the school. The latest inquiry started in late 2011 following new allegations from ex-pupils and 20 new victims have been identified.