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divdiv class=story-body readability=31 span class=story-date#13; span class=date28 October 2013/span#13;span class=time-textLast updated at /spanspan class=time20:02 ET/span#13; #13;/span#13;#13; #13;#13;#13; #13; #13; #13; p class=introductionA former BBC driver accused of sex offences has been found dead./p#13; pDavid Smith, 67, from Lewisham, south-east London, had been due to stand trial at Southwark Crown Court for allegedly abusing a boy, 12, in 1984./p#13; pA warrant was issued for his arrest on Monday after he failed to attend court. /p#13; pSmith was charged with two counts of indecent assault, two of indecency and one of a serious sexual offence as part of Operation Yewtree. The cause of his death is not yet known./p#13; pSmith was the first person to be charged under the investigation into historical cases of abuse, which was originally set up in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal. /p#13; pIt was alleged Smith met his victim at a swimming pool, invited him back to his flat where he sexually abused him. /p#13; pHe also took the boy on a visit to the BBC studios at White City, in west London. During the journey the boy claimed that he was indecently assaulted. /p#13; span class=cross-headHistorical abuse/span#13; pThe victim's partner contacted police after she saw his response to the ITV documentary Exposure: The Other Side of Jimmy Savile, which was broadcast on 3 October 2012. /p#13; pA previous attempt to track down Smith in 2002 had failed when police could not find him - even though he was in prison at the time. /p#13; pDavid Smith was a prolific sex offender whose first conviction was in 1966. He had 22 convictions for sexual offences against young boys. /p#13; pHis barrister became concerned on Monday when Mr Smith failed to appear at court. /p#13; pPolice found him at his home address at about 14:20 GMT and he was pronounced dead at the scene. /p#13; pThe cause of death is not yet known and a post-mortem examination will take place./p#13; pHis trial had been due to start on Tuesday. /p#13; pYewtree is an inquiry into allegations of historical sexual abuse linked to the entertainment industry./p#13; pThe operation has three strands. One concerns Savile's crimes exclusively, while a second strand relates to allegations against Savile and others./p#13; pThe third strand concentrates on accusations which emerged as a result of the publicity surrounding Savile, but which are unconnected to him./p#13; pSmith was investigated under the third strand. /p#13; /div/divbrbrcentera href=http://www.wizardrss.comPowered By WizardRSS.com/a | a href=http://www.wizardrss.comFull Text RSS Feed/a | a href=http://www.amazon.com/RFID-Blocking-Cards-Identity-Protector/dp/B00CJHZLEWRFID/a | a href=http://www.wpzonbuilder.comAmazon Affiliate/a/center