British DJ escapes jail for indecent assault

A British court on Friday handed veteran DJ Dave Lee Travis a three-month suspended sentence for groping a female television personality in 1995, bringing an end to his high-profile trial.

The 69-year-old told reporters outside the court in London that he was “really disappointed” by his conviction for indecent assault, but said he was also “relieved I’ve been able to prove I’m not a sexual predator”.

The DJ, one of the biggest names in British broadcasting in the 1970s and 1980s, was found not guilty on Tuesday of a second indecent assault charge and was cleared of a sexual assault charge.

Travis was also cleared in February of 12 indecent assault charges brought after a number of women contacted police investigating abuse by another BBC star, Jimmy Savile.

On Friday, he said prosecutors had been unable to prove almost all their case despite “millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money” and “thousands of hours of police resources”.

The sentence is suspended for two years which means he will not go to prison if he stays out of trouble.

Travis was the third person to be found guilty under the wide-ranging Operation Yewtree police investigation set up in the wake of revelations that Savile was a prolific sexual predator.

Veteran Australian entertainer Rolf Harris was jailed in July for five years and nine months for a string of sexual assaults against girls.

Public relations guru Max Clifford was jailed for eight years in May for eight indecent assaults.