Operation Yewtree must have thought themselves on a roll following the conviction and imprisonment of Max Clifford, so they didn’t have a good day today as Freddie Starr was told that he would face no further action for the offences he had been accused of. This was a difficult call to judge. On the one hand he was quick enough to go on television to rubbish the claims, a genuine plea or an almighty double bluff? He was also quick to obtain an injunction against the press to stop his name from getting out in the world, a world that now assumes that Look In magazine was the original name for the Sex Offender’s Register. It is easier to jump to conclusions when the defendant is someone you don’t like, which is why people had already made the decision about Max Clifford; an unpleasant individual to has the secrets about who knows how many people. Freddie Starr was a moderately amusing comedian who didn’t really have an act, so I for one had no real opinion of him either way. I didn’t know what to make of it when he was arrested, but as bad as it sounds, I wasn’t at all surprised. His protest that he had never worked with Jimmy Savile (who if there is an afterlife, must be observing all of this as the ultimate victory) was soon uncovered by a scandal hungry tabloid press. This was therefore either a spur of the moment lie, or a genuine slip of the memory, it is feasible that Freddie Starr would have been in high demand for television spots around that time, and could have done so many that he didn’t recall every one. Despite this ‘error’, Starr distanced himself by saying that it was merely a chance to appear on a popular show, and that he wasn’t friends with Savile, which of course would have been fine if it wasn’t for the fact that they seemed matey enough on Frank Bruno’s This Is Your Life.

I’m not suggesting that Starr was faking his illness and frail appearance, as he has always appeared to have health problems of some description. He could of course have been using it to his advantage, possibly on the advice of his defence lawyer, but even so I would like to think that a police investigation into sexual assault wouldn’t be swayed by it.

When you read between the lines you could come to your own conclusion about this case and others. Having the case dropped due to lack of evidence is not the same as being found innocent and that is exactly what the public will speculate on. We’ll probably never know the nature of the one offence that won’t go to trial as it isn’t in the public interest, but it can’t have been too heinous otherwise they would have gone for it, especially as Yewtree have only managed one hit so far and someone higher up must surely be looking at the accounts and wondering if it is worth it.

Starr has had to wait a year and a half for this outcome, so it does at least prove that something needs to be done within the legal system to speed things up. I know that information has to be gathered and this can take time, especially on historic cases where alibis and facts might not be as easy to prove, but nobody should have to have this hanging over them for so long, innocent or guilty. There’s also the question of whether the press should be allowed to name names until a thorough investigation has taken place, as so many people can have their lives ruined in this way.

Freddie Starr can now breathe a sigh of relief and get on with the rest of his life (however long that might be) unless he makes a miraculous return to match fitness in which case I’m sure questions will be asked. Aside from any financial victory against the CPS if he decides to sue, I’m sure that there will also be a book and a round of chat shows to help to soften the blow.

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