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Travis, a former BBC Radio 1 DJ, was the latest ageing
British celebrity to be convicted of sex crimes following police
investigations launched in the wake of revelations that the late
Jimmy Savile, one of the BBC's top TV presenters, had sexually
abused hundreds of victims over decades.
The 69-year-old, who was found guilty on Tuesday, was told by
the judge that although the offense was serious enough to
warrant a three-month prison sentence, mitigating factors meant
that he would suspend that jail term.
"It was a nasty thing to do but it was more than that. It was an
intentional and unpleasant sexual assault," said Judge Anthony
Leonard.
"You took advantage of a young woman in a vulnerable position
whose job it was to look after you that day."
During two trials, Travis, appearing under his real name of
David Griffin, was cleared of a string of sexual offences
against women over three decades. However, he was convicted of
one charge of assaulting the 22-year-old victim in 1995.
"You pinned her up against the wall and started to touch her rib
cage and then slid your hands up over her breasts and her
clothes, and started squeezing them," Leonard said.
He said that although the crime was serious, mitigating factors
such as the DJ's health and the impact on his future job
prospects, meant the three-month jail term could be suspended.
Travis had denied all the accusations, describing himself as a
"big, hairy, cuddly bear" who was tactile but not a sexual
predator. He accused the women of making up the claims to make
money.
Among his fans was Nobel Peace Prize winner Suu Kyi, who singled
out his weekly show on the BBC World Service for making her
world "much more complete" during her 15 years under house
arrest between 1989 and 2010.
(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
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