Police Investigating 25 Celebrities

Twenty-five celebrities are  being investigated in the UK’s wide-ranging inquiry into sex abuse, and police expect to make more arrests before the end of the year.

Officers from Operation Yewtree arrested PR guru Max Clifford Dec. 6, adding him to a list that already includes former Glam Rock star Gary Glitter, former Radio 1 DJ Dave Lee Travis, comedian Freddie Starr, retired BBC producer Wilfred De’Ath and veteran Radio 5 soccer commentator Stuart Hall.

“They all tend to be white men of the Savile generation,” a source close to the inquiry told The Sunday Times.

Operation Yewtree is a broad investigation into child sex abuse spurred by the case of Jimmy Savile, the late former BBC television host accused of serial sexual abuse of underage girls. Savile died last year, aged 84.

Scotland Yard says it is now dealing with about 450 potential victims. The inquiry began two months ago after an ITV documentary exposed the allegations against Savile.

In October Clifford, who has denied any wrongdoing, said that many celebrities were worried they might become ensnared in the investigation.

“They’re phoning me and saying, ‘Max, I’m worried that I’m going to be implicated.’ A lot of them can’t remember what they did last week, never mind 30 or 40 years ago,” he said.

Clifford’s clients include entertainment mogul Simon Cowell, former Harrod’s owner Mohamed al-Fayed, and the late reality TV star Jade Goody, as well as dozens of ordinary people who found themselves at the forefront of the news and were keen to sell their stories to the press.