John Leslie questioned over sex attack claim

The Forth 2 DJ, from Morningside, was interviewed after a woman alleged she was attacked after an awards ceremony on Thursday night.

The 50-year-old, who was cleared of two sexual assaults more than a decade ago, is understood to have been suspended from his job on Forth 2 while police investigate the allegation.

Mr Leslie attended the Forth Awards at the Usher Hall on Thursday afternoon, where he presented an award, and was surrounded by guests including The Voice winner Stevie McCrorie.

It was reported that many of VIPs went to an after-party at Lulu in George Street, but it is not known if the former Blue Peter star joined them there.

Over the weekend, police were photographed removing evidence bags from his home and Mr Leslie did not host his usual Friday afternoon radio show.

A spokeswoman for Police Scotland said: “Police in Edinburgh are investigating a report of a sexual assault of a 22-year-old woman, which took place between the evening of Thursday, November 19 and the morning of Friday, November 20 in Edinburgh.

“Inquiries are currently ongoing.”

No-one from Bauer Media, the company which owns Radio Forth where Mr Leslie is employed, was available for comment.

Images on Radio Forth’s website show Mr Leslie posing with McCrorie after he presented him with an award for best performance.

The DJ was born in Edinburgh and went to both Liberton and James Gillespie’s High School’s.

Before hitting it big on TV, he previously worked as a DJ in some of the Capital’s nightclubs.

He became the first Scottish presenter on Blue Peter when he joined the hit children’s show in 1989 and then later went on to present the gameshow Wheel of Fortune and ITV’s This Morning as a co-host.

But his career collapsed in 2002 after he was identified as the unnamed presenter whom Ulrika Jonsson said in her autobiography had attacked her. She has never named him herself.

In 2003, he was accused of indecently assaulting a 23-year-old actress six years earlier, but he was cleared of all charges.

In the years that followed, the DJ faced further scandal when a sex tape of him, his model girlfriend Abi Titmuss and another woman appeared on the internet.

In 2012, Mr Leslie also admitted that he had taken cocaine.

After he sold his London home and returned to Edinburgh, he is understood to have become involved with property development before relaunching a radio career at the station where his brother, Grant Stott, also works.

Just last year, he told the Evening News he was “delighted” to be taking up his new radio job as a radio host.

Mr Leslie could not be contacted for comment yesterday.