Freddie Starr buys new home on Costa del Sol

THE comedian is said to have sold his home in Warwickshire for almost £700,000 (€962,000) and liquidated his assets in Britain before leaving the country after facing a £1million bill on a lost libel court case.

Last month, authorities became aware of his disappearance from the UK after he failed to make the first payment of £334,000 (€458,861). He has been described by reports in the British media as appearing tired and dishevelled when sighted in a bar on the Costa del Sol.

Starr bought a flat on the Costa del Sol for £175,000 (€240,421) recently after the High Court ordered him to pay 57-year-old Karin Ward´s legal costs. Starr stated that he lost £300,000 (€412,151) in earnings following Ward´s allegations that the comedian groped her when she was 15.

Mr Justice Nicol dismissed the case against Ms Ward last July leaving Starr with a huge bill. Starr was originally arrested under Operation Yewtree but didn´t face charges. Ms Ward alleged that she was groped during the taping of an episode of TV show Clunk Click in 1974.

Starr has consistently denied the claims and moved to distance himself from any links to the Jimmy Savile scandal. He said that his wife and children were present at the taping of the TV show and vowed that “It never happened. My moral compass would not allow me to do that.”