March 25, 2014
LONDON (AFP) - Veteran British comic Jimmy Tarbuck was released without charge Monday, nearly a year after being arrested over allegations of sexual abuse.
Tarbuck, 74, is among several celebrities of yesteryear arrested by police probes set up following revelations that the late BBC presenter Jimmy Savile was a prolific sex offender.
Liverpool-born Tarbuck, a former schoolmate of Beatles icon John Lennon, is best known for hosting television variety show "Sunday Night at the London Palladium" in the 1960s and several quiz programmes on the ITV network.
Tarbuck was arrested in April 2013 by North Yorkshire Police, who were acting on information from Scotland Yard's Operation Yewtree, the main historic sex crime investigation.
The force said a 74-year-old man "has been released without charge following an investigation into historic sexual abuse".
The Crown Prosecution Service said they examined a file of evidence from the police which contained six allegations of sexual offences from six complainants.
"We have determined that there is insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction in relation to all complaints and have advised North Yorkshire Police that no further action should be taken," England's state prosecutors said in a statement.
