Cops shelve sex probe into Top Gear flop Chris Evans after C4 Big Breakfast ‘grope victim’ drops claims
TV host was accused of grabbing producer’s breasts and exposing himself to her repeatedly
THE sex investigation on Chris Evans was torpedoed after the alleged victim dropped her complaint.
She felt unable to proceed with the case against the 50-year-old TV and radio presenter after feeling “intense emotional pressure”.
It left police with no choice but to ditch their inquiry into claims made by the telly producer in May.
She claimed Evans grabbed her breasts and relentlessly exposed himself to her while they worked on Channel 4’s Big Breakfast programme in the early 1990s.
The woman alleged that Evans harassed and intimidated her after she rejected his advances.
Married father-of-four Evans was interviewed under caution at an East London police station on Thursday morning by detectives from the Met Police’s Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command.
Evans denied indecently assaulting her at the Big Breakfast house in Bow, East London, and has claimed he is the victim of a “witch hunt”.
By the time he was questioned by cops, the complainant had already withdrawn her allegations.
One source said: “She gave the police a full statement and the officers were very considerate and kind to her.
“But she felt isolated and vulnerable.
“Nobody else came forward to make allegations against Evans.
“In the end it was going to be a case of her word against his.”
Police also questioned other staff who had worked on the show as potential witnesses but were unable to find any evidence to pursue the case without the alleged victim’s co-operation.
After quizzing Evans, police formally dropped the case, saying there was insufficient evidence.
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They made the decision not to press ahead without sending a report to the Crown Prosecution Service.
The Met yesterday refused to talk about the complainant withdrawing her claims.
A spokeswoman said: “It is not appropriate to comment.”
Meanwhile, Top Gear flop Evans yesterday thanked friends, family and colleagues for their “rock solid” support during the investigation.
The presenter emerged from the BBC’s central London studios looking tired and run-down after hosting his Radio 2 Breakfast Show.
Wearing light blue chinos and a black biker jacket, the usually jovial Chris was in a sombre mood.
When asked how he was feeling, he said: “All I want to say is I thank my family.
“And I thank my friends and my colleagues for being rock-solid throughout.
“That’s all I want to say.”
Evans interviewed a raft of high-profile stars on yesterday’s radio show, including Hollywood actress Isla Fisher, comedian Shappi Khorsandi and the band Divine Comedy.
He made only one veiled hint about the police probe saying: “There are three things that will always come out: the sun, the moon and the truth.”