Operation Yewtree: Chauffeur David Smith Charged with Five Sex Offences

A former chauffeur who reportedly worked for the BBC is to be charged with five sex offences involving children following his arrest by officers investigating the Jimmy Savile sex scandal.

David Smith is accused of two counts of indecent assault, two counts of gross indecency and one count of buggery. All the offences relate to boys who were under the age of 16 in 1984.

Smith, who is due to appear at Wesminister magistrates court on 8 May to face the charges, is the first person to be charged under Operation Yewtree, which was launched to investigate claims of abuse by Jimmy Savile and 'others'.

Smith was arrested in December and falls under the strand 'others' - meaning the allegations are not connected to Savile.

According to a BBC correspondent, Smith was hired to drive guests on the Corporation's behalf. However it is not clear whether the alleged offences have any connection with his work for Britain's most famous broadcaster.

Alison Saunders, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "The CPS has carefully considered the evidence gathered as part of Operation Yewtree in relation to David Smith, who was employed as a driver at the time of the allegations.

"The CPS received a file of evidence on 21 December 2012. Further enquiries were necessary and the result of those enquiries was received by the CPS on 18th March.

"We have concluded, in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors, that there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction, and that it is in the public interest for David Smith to be charged with five offences."

There have been 11 arrests so far under Operation Yewtree. Some high-profile names include publicist Max Clifford, comedian Freddie Starr and former pop star Gary Glitter.

Savile, who died in 2011 aged 84, has been described as one of Britain's most prolific sex offenders and was able to commit hundreds of acts of abuse for decades without detection or punishment.