When in the clear was never so murky

The inspiration behind the naive, ridiculous, happy-go-lucky DJ characters Smashey and Nicey was man-out-of-time Dave Lee Travis (who reportedly remarked about the Harry Enfield/Paul Whitehouse sketch, "What's funny about that?").  Known as DLT, a play on the BLT sandwich, he was a regular on Radio One (until axed) and Top of the Pops.  Aung Sang Suu Kyi said his radio show gave her hope when she was kept under house arrest.  At the University of Kent at Canterbury, one of the blocks is called Darwin and it's two lecture rooms known as DLT1 and DLT2 and whenever entering either, I felt I was going into the belly of Dave Lee Travis.  That seems a lot more sinister now.
Today he was acquitted of ten of the twelve charges of rape and indecent assault, a week after William Roache was given the same verdict on his court case and a few months after Michael le Vell walked free.  Of all the 'celebrities' taken to court or merely accused post-Savile, only veteran TV show host and commentator Stuart Hall has been convicted.  The jury couldn't reach a verdict on the other two ranged against Travis but that suggests he will avoid punishment for those as well.
Rape and indecent assault cases are the hardest to prove as usually it comes down to one person's word against another.  The Crown Prosecution Service officially sets a threshold of 50% chance of conviction but there may be political pressure to bring more rape cases to trial given the dismal figures that currently abound.  However, all the defendant has to do is prove 'reasonable doubt' and by the letter of the law, they have to be acquitted.  Yet it is commonly accepted that physical sexism 'went on' for a long time without a fuss being made about it.  The verdicts though are taken as cut-and-dried.  One tabloid headline upon Roache's acquittal was 'Keep Ken and Corrie On' but there would have been headlines prepared had it gone against him, such as 'Cock-Roache' or 'Setting the Bar Low'.  Such is the cynicism of journalists.
I also get the feeling but without any proof that celebrities get an easier ride because of their recognition.  People may have grown up listening to the tones of Travis; juries might associate Roache as his Coronation Street character Ken Barlow.  Hall may have been avuncular and a former favourite at many a village fete but could have been loathed for his role on It's A Knockout.  One would expect juries to be intelligent and impartial and any prejudices knocked out of them when they made their deliberations, but humans are fallible and stubborn.  I do prefer to have these eminent entertainers acquitted of the charges but the suspicion remains that they did indulge in things decades ago that could be described generously as borderline.