- .The 68-year-old accused of 11 counts of indecent assault and one count of sexual assault
- .Offences are alleged to have taken place between 1977 and 2007
- .They relate to nine victims aged between 15 and 29
- .Former BBC Radio 1 DJ ordered to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on August 23
Charged: Dave Lee Travis was the fourth celebrity to be arrested by detectives from Operation Yewtree
Veteran DJ Dave Lee Travis was charged with 12 sexual offences spanning a period of 30 years today.
The 68-year-old, also known as David Patrick Griffin, is accused of 11 counts of indecent assault and one count of sexual assault.
The offences are alleged to have taken place between 1977 and 2007 and relate to nine victims aged between 15 and 29.
The former BBC Radio 1 DJ was ordered to appear before a district judge at Westminster Magistrates’ Court next Friday, August 23.
Chief Crown Prosecutor Alison Saunders, of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS said: ‘We have carefully considered the evidence gathered by the Metropolitan Police Service as part of Operation Yewtree in relation to David Patrick Griffin, who was initially arrested on 15 November 2012 over allegations of sexual offences.
‘A file of evidence was passed to the CPS on 31 July 2013.
‘Having completed our review, we have concluded that there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest for Mr Griffin to be charged with 11 counts of indecent assault and one of sexual assault.
‘These date from 1977 to 2007 and relate to nine complainants aged between 15 and 29 at the time of the alleged offending.
‘The decision to prosecute has been taken in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors and the DPP's interim guidelines on prosecuting cases of child sexual abuse.
‘We have determined that there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction and that a prosecution is in the public interest.’
Travis was the fourth celebrity to be arrested by detectives from Operation Yewtree, which was set up in the aftermath of the Jimmy Savile scandal.
The 68-year-old is accused of 11 counts of indecent assault and one count of sexual assault
He was informed of the decision to put him on trial by senior detectives during a brief meeting at a police station.
Several hours earlier he declined to comment as he was driven away from his £1m Bedfordshire mansion by his lawyer.
The shock decision comes despite Travis insisting his ‘conscience is clear’ as he faced a fresh wave of sex assault claims earlier this year.
He was re-arrested and questioned about new evidence in a surprise move when he answered bail in March.
Dave Lee Travis setting his alarm clock after it was announced he would be taking over the breakfast show on Radio One in 1978
Officers quizzed him about several more incidents after more women came forward claiming to be victims of the entertainer.
The original claims against Travis involved two adult women who claimed he molested them in the 1970s and 80s at the height of his fame as one of Britain's best-loved DJs.
One of the women was a TV presenter who said he groped her while she was reading the news on BBC radio.
A second claimed Travis sexually assaulted her after inviting her into his studio to help him select his next music track.
Travis, who was taken off air at Magic AM in the wake of his arrest, has repeatedly insisted he is innocent of all allegations.
In an extraordinary outburst in March, Travis said his reputation has been ‘tarnished and dragged through the mud’ despite nothing have been proved against him.
Speaking at the time, he said: ‘The last four months have been extraordinary.
‘Allegations which I strongly deny have been put to me by the police and to which I have given full and complete answers. I have fully co-operated and my conscience is clear.’
Travis is due to appear before Westminster Magistrates' Court on August 23 charged with 12 sexual offences
THE CHARGES:
Dave Lee Travis is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on August 23.
The charges are:
The charges are:
One offence of indecent assault relating to a woman, aged 18, in 1977.
Two offences of indecent assault relating to a girl, aged 15, in 1977.
One offence of indecent assault relating to a woman, aged 19, in 1978.
One offence of indecent assault relating to a woman, aged between 26 and 28, on a date between 1981 and 1983.
One offence of indecent assault relating to a woman, aged 18, in 1983.
One offence of indecent assault relating to a woman, aged between 19 and 20, on a date in 1985.
One offence of indecent assault relating to a woman, aged 22, in 1990.
Three offences of indecent assault relating to a woman, aged between 26 and 29, from 2000 to 2003.
One offence of sexual assault relating to a woman, aged 23, in 2007.
Prosecutors have decided that no further action should be taken in relation to seven separate allegations made against the DJ because there was not enough evidence.
He added: ‘I deny any wrongdoing whatsoever, notwithstanding this my reputation has been tarnished and dragged through the mud.’
And shortly after his arrest last November Travis denied being a sexual predator and claimed he was simply a ‘man who loves women.’
The former Radio 1 presenter, nicknamed DLT and The Hairy Cornflake, said he was accused of ‘squeezing the boobs of a couple of women’.
He said none of the allegations involve children and said he was appalled to have his name linked to Savile.
Travis, real name David Patrick Griffin, found fame in 1978 when he took over the Radio 1 breakfast show from Noel Edmonds.
The pace of the controversial Yewtree inquiry shows no sign of slowing.
On Monday an unnamed 80-year-old man linked to Savile was arrested in South London on suspicion of historic sexual assaults.
On the same day ex-Radio 1 DJ Chris Denning, who was originally arrested in June, was re-bailed until October.
Last week veteran entertainer Rolf Harris, 83, was arrested a second time after new alleged victims – believed to be based in Australia – came forward.
Two other suspects could learn their fate within weeks after full files of evidence were passed to the CPS.
They are comedian Jim Davidson, 59, and his friend and DJ Mike Osman, 53, who accompanied him on overseas trips.
Others arrested as part of Yewtree include pop paedophile Gary Glitter, 69, and Freddie Starr, 70, who both answer bail later this year.
Two people have been charged, PR supremo Max Clifford and former BBC driver David Smith.
Smith, 67, who is accused of sexually abusing a young boy, and Clifford, 70, who is charged with indecently assaulting seven women and girls, will face trial next year.
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