DLT: My arrest ‘nothing to do with kids’

The 67-year-old spoke to reporters outside his home in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, and said he did not want his name associated with “bloody evil” child abuse.

He was arrested yesterday by detectives investigating the Jimmy Savile abuse scandal, but the allegations against him are not linked to the disgraced TV presenter.

Travis said: “This is nothing to do with kids, all right? That’s the first thing. Because that to me is the most important thing in the world and I do not wish to have my name sullied around something that bloody evil, to be honest.

“The second thing I want is to say, yes, there’s a complete denial there, but there’s nothing else I can tell you because otherwise I might be stepping on the police’s feet and I don’t want to do that because it might affect their investigations.”

Travis had already vigorously denied allegations, made last month, that he groped two women while in BBC studios.

One alleged that he had put his hand up her skirt, while the other said he had “jiggled” her breasts.

The former Radio One DJ told reporters today: “There’s one very important point I want to get across here - when I read the papers this morning I could not believe it.

“It was like, you know, ‘DLT caught in Savile probe’ and all this.

“I’m going to make one thing extremely clear to you - the Savile probe is nothing to do with things I’ve been talking to the police about.

“I was accused quote of squeezing the boobs of a couple of women. One, you know is Vivien Creegor and the other was somebody from 19..God knows, 67 or something, which is incredible.”

He added: “I am and always have been completely abhorred by anything to do with children and anything to do with child molestation and anything like that.

“I don’t really want to be in a headline where people look and see Savile’s name and see my name and think ‘Oh God, is he at it as well?’

“Not true, all right? You have a categorical denial about children. That is absolutely set in concrete, I promise you.”

The radio presenter said he had willingly spoken to police and would happily continue to help them.

“Of course I’m going to help them,” Travis told reporters. “I’m only too pleased, I’ve answered every single question they’ve asked me. They’re happy with that and I’m now at their beck and call. They are now presumably assessing.”

The Magic AM presenter was held at 7.45am yesterday and later released on bail until early January.

He was taken “off air with immediate effect” by the radio station’s owners today in the wake of his arrest.

A spokeswoman for Bauer Media, which owns Magic AM, said: “Following the arrest and release on police bail of Dave Lee Travis, Bauer Media has decided to take him off air with immediate effect from his Magic AM weekend shows, which broadcast across the north of England.

“We understand that the allegations about which he was questioned by police pre-date his time as a freelance contributor to Magic AM.

“While we can make no judgment on the matters under investigation, we believe it would be inappropriate for him to broadcast until they are resolved.”

Yesterday the Metropolitan Police revealed they are now dealing with around 450 potential victims, the majority of whom claim they fell prey to Savile.

This has risen from around 300 possible victims the force said they were dealing with last month.

Officers are looking at three strands within their inquiry: claims against Savile, those against Savile and others, and those against others.

Most of the “others” allegations have been made against people associated with the entertainment industry.

Ex-glam rocker Gary Glitter, comedian Freddie Starr and a 73-year-old man have already been arrested and bailed in connection with the investigation.

A 1977 episode of Top Of The Pops featuring Travis was due to be shown on BBC4 last night but was pulled.