Re: One word
"Then we read about another 'Z' list former celeb getting arrested for nasty acts committed a long time ago and start to think again."
There have been several celebrities accused, even arrested and prosecuted, and then it all petered out as the allegations would not stand up in court.
It usually comes down to people disputing the details of remembered events many years earlier. The prosecution are often relying on several people making a similar allegation. Unfortunately there have been several cases where the police have trawled for people to come forward with allegations against specific people - while emphasising the substantial financial awards if the accused is convicted.
People's memories of past events are notoriously poor - especially if confirmation bias happens.
There should be a statute of limitations - possibly 10 years after someone reaches the age of majority.
What does need investigating is the cover-ups by people in authority who deliberately blocked cases at a much earlier time where there was palpable evidence.