Operation Yewtree - launched after Jimmy Savile's death and sick stars convicted
It's been more than a decade since the Met Police launched Operation Yewtree, the investigation into claims of sexual abuse by a number of high-profile figures.
Police first started the operation in October 2012 to look into the allegations against Jimmy Savile, but after an initial assessment period, Yewtree became a formal criminal investigation into allegations of sexual abuse by Jimmy Saville and others. As a result, the police investigated a number of well-known public figures, including Rolf Harris.
But the operation was controversial, often labelled as a "witch hunt", and many of the celebrities initially investigated were eventually exonerated. In a Channel 4 documentary titled The Accused: National Treasures on Trial, Sir Cliff Richard, Paul Gambaccini and Neil Fox opened up about the impact that being investigated on suspicion of historic sex crimes that they hadn't committed had on their lives, families, careers and reputations. But while police later admitted that they "got some things wrong", the operation did lead to the successful convictions of some high profile figures — here's who they were.
Who was found guilty under Operation Yewtree?
Operation Yewtree had three strands: one that concerned Savile's crimes exclusively; another relating to allegations against Savile and others, and the third one concentrating on other accusations that emerged as a result of the publicity surrounding Savile. Nineteen people had been arrested under Operation Yewtree by 2015, but only seven on these arrests led to convictions. Some of the most high-profile celebrities to be found guilty of sexual offences as a result of the operation include Rolf Harris, Garry Glitter and Chris Denning.
There were also some high-profile cases that occurred around the same time, including the conviction of radio presenter Stuart Hall, weatherman Fred Talbot, and DJ and friend of Savile's Ray Teret. However, although these cases were related to similar cases under Operation Yewtree, they were not a part of the investigation. Here are the celebrities who did face convictions as a result of the operation.
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Max Clifford
Clifford was the first person to be convicted (Channel 4)Publicist Max Clifford was the first person to be convicted under Yewtree. Clifford was first arrested on suspicion of sexual offences in 2012 as part of the operation. In May 2014 he was found guilty of indecently assaulting four young women and girls, with one victim being just 15 at the time. He was subsequently sentenced to eight years in prison but died in hospital in 2017 after suffering a heart attack and collapsing in prison.
Rolf Harris
Rolf Harris died earlier this year (AFP/Getty Images)When the once-loveable TV personality Rolf Harris was investigated by Yewtree, some called it a "witch hunt". However, in 2014 Harris was convicted of 12 counts of indecent assault on four female victims aged between eight and 19. The disgraced TV presenter was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison but was released in May 2017 after spending just three years behind bars. In November 2017 he made an appeal to overturn his 2014 convictions, which resulted in one conviction being overturned. Harris died at home earlier this year.
Garry Glitter
Gary Glitter was jailed (PA)
He was thrown back in prison after breaching his licence (EXPRESS NEWSPAPERS)Former pop star Garry Glitter was the first person to be arrested as part of Yewtree when he was taken into custody in October 2012 to be questioned by police. In 2014 he was charged with a total of eight sexual offences relating to girls between the ages of 12 and 14. The following year he was found guilty of attempted rape, four counts of indecent assault and one of having sex with a girl under 13, with the crimes committed between the years of 1975 and 1980. The singer was sentenced to 16 years in prison as the judge was limited to the less severe maximum sentences that were available at the time that the offences were committed. Glitter was freed half way through his sentenced but thrown back into jail earlier this year for breaching his licence.
Dave Lee Travis
Dave Lee Travis was handed a suspended sentence (PA)Former Radio 1 DJ and TV presenter Dave Lee Travis was was arrested under the Operation Yewtree investigation in 2012 and charged with a number of sexual offences. In 2014 he was convicted of indecent assault for an incident that dated back to 1995 and was handed a three month suspended sentence.
In his first trial, Travis had been cleared of 12 allegations of indecent assault but the jury was unable to reach a verdict on two charges of indecent assault and sexual assault. During the second trial he was found not guilty of indecent assault and was cleared of the sexual assault charge after the jury failed to reach a verdict. However, they did find him guilty of the 1995 indecent assault. In 2015 Travis attempted to appeal the conviction, but was told at the Court of Appeal in London that there were "no arguable grounds of appeal".
Chris Denning
Another former Radio 1 DJ, Chris Denning, was arrested under Operation Yewtree in June 2013 and was charged with sexual offences involving 26 male victims occurring in the years 1967 to 1987. He later admitted to a total of 41 sex offence charges, including 36 counts of indecent assault on a male, four of indecency with a child and a charge of gross indecency. After pleading guilty to the offences he was sentenced to 13 years in prison.
Is Operation Yewtree still active?
Operation Yewtree ended in 2015 but was absorbed by Operation Winter Key, which was launched in June 2015. Operation Winter Key also absorbed other sexual abuse investigations, including Operation Fairbank, the Met Police's umbrella inquiry into historical sexual abuse claims involving politicians and public figures.
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