Australian arrested in relation to Savile sex abuse investigationFrom:AAP March 29, 2013 2:04PMIncrease Text SizeDecrease Text SizePrint

AN Australian man has been arrested by officers from a taskforce investigating possible widespread abuse following the Jimmy Savile sex scandal.

The 82-year-old man from Berkshire in south England was arrested on Thursday in Britain and bailed until May pending further police inquiries.

The Metropolitan Police would not name the man involved. He did not have to appear in bail court.

Operation Yewtree was established after a television documentary aired allegations that former BBC disc jockey Savile, who died in 2011 aged 84, sexually abused countless children.

A Met spokesman told AAP there were three categories of people subject to the investigation: Savile himself, people close to the presenter and "others".

The 82-year-old was in the last category which "is generally people who were in the public spotlight at around that time", the spokesman said.

The Berkshire man was interviewed under caution in late November 2012, five days after a search warrant was executed at his address.

Police stressed his arrest this week was not connected to the specific allegations made against Savile.

So far 11 people have been arrested as a result of Operation Yewtree.

A police investigation concluded earlier this year that Savile was a predatory sex offender who abused youngsters as young as eight over more than 50 years, using his fame to rape and assault victims on BBC premises, in schools and hospitals.

The scandal has escalated leading to the arrests of singer Gary Glitter, comedians Freddie Starr and Jim Davidson and radio presenter Stuart Hall.

AAP