BBC presenter Paul Gambaccini denies sexual offences claims
Paul Gambaccini, the gay BBC TV and radio presenter, has denied sexual offences claims after he was arrested on suspicion under Operation Yewtree.
The Telegraph reports Mr Gambaccini has denied all allegations.
In a statement, he compared his arrest to that of the Scottsboro Boys, a group of South American black teenagers falsely accused of rape in the 1930s.
He said: “On Monday night, 28 October, I attended an excellent production of the Kander and Ebb musical, the Scottsboro Boys, at the Young Vic theatre.
“It concerned a group of black men in Alabama in the 1930s who were falsely accused of sexual offences.
“Within hours, I was arrested by Operation Yewtree. Nothing had changed, except this time there was no music.”
A spokesperson the 64-year-old added: “Mr Gambaccini was interviewed by Operation Yewtree officers about historic allegations. He answered their questions and was co-operative. He denied all allegations.”
Mr Gambaccini, who is one of Britain’s best known broadcasters and foremost authorities on music, became the 15th arrest under Operation Yewtree since it began a year ago.
He entered into a civil partnership with his partner Christopher Sherwood last year.
Yewtree has been investigating claims of historical sexual offences since the Jimmy Savile scandal broke in 2012.
Mr Gambaccini was arrested under the “others” strand of the investigation, meaning the allegations are not directly linked to Savile.
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