Ex-chauffeur charged with raping girls

Photo: CTV

British singer Vera Lynn and Jimmy Savile are seen at the unveiling of a contemporary sculpture at Victoria Embankment in central London, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2005. (AP / Matthew Fearn)

The former driver for disgraced late BBC entertainer Jimmy Savile has appeared in court to face charges including multiple counts of raping girls younger than 16.

Savile's reputation as a popular if eccentric personality collapsed after his death in 2011 at age 84, when hundreds of witnesses and victims came forward accusing him of sexual abuse. Police have since described him as a serial sexual predator.

British police charged the driver, 72-year-old Ray Teret, with 32 offences that allegedly took place between 1962 and 1996, including multiple counts of rape and indecent assault. The 15 accusers were all under the age of 16 at the time.

Teret appeared Saturday at Manchester City Magistrates Court, where he was released on bail.