Prosecutors call off the case after 18 months

Freddie Starr will not be prosecuted over historic sex crime allegations.

The Crown Prosecution Service's decision comes after the 71-year-old comic has spent 18 months on bail.

His lawyer claimed that the delays in coming to a decision were to avoid clashing with the Max Clifford case and said they were a 'flagrant breach' of Starr's human rights.

Starr's legal team have previously said they would mount a high court challenge over the way the investigation has been handled.

The comic was first arrested in November 2012 by detectives from Operation Yewtree, set up in the wake of Jimmy Savile's abuses coming to light, and was rebailed several times.

Baljit Ubhey, from the CPS, said: 'Having carefully reviewed this case, we have decided that there is insufficient evidence to prosecute Freddie Starr in relation to allegations of sexual offences made by 13 individuals.

'Each allegation was considered on its own merits and we have concluded that the available evidence does not offer a realistic prospect of conviction for any of the alleged offences.

'In relation to one further complainant, we have decided that although there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction, according to the Code for Crown Prosecutors, a prosecution would not be in the public interest. It must be remembered that a determination by a prosecutor that there is sufficient evidence to prosecute does not mean that the suspect is guilty of the offence.

'The complainants have been informed and we will be writing to them to more fully explain our decision.'

Published: 6 May 2014