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Jimmy Savile

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Jimmy Savile spent 'every waking minute' thinking about abusing boys and girls
Jimmy Savile spent "every waking minute" of his life thinking about abusing children, attacked patients in hospices and even used the final edition of the BBC's Top of the Pops to commit sex offences, police disclosed this morning.
By Gordon Rayner and Steven Swinford
10:44AM GMT 11 Jan 2013

Commander Peter Spindler, head of the inquiry, said Savile had "groomed a nation" and preyed on 450 victims, aged between eight and 47, over a 54-year period. Almost a fifth of his victims were boys.

A Metropolitan Police report giving the findings of Operation Yewtree, the investigation into Savile's offending launched after an ITV documentary exposed his paedophilia last year, says that 450 people have now made complaints to the police, and to date 214 offences have been identified across 28 police force areas. They include 126 indecent acts and 34 rapes.

Savile was "hiding in plain sight" during his offending, which began in 1955, says the 37-page Giving Victims a Voice report.
Spindler said the report "paints a stark picture emphasising the tragic consequences of when vulnerability and power collide".
He said Savile's "offending footprint" was "vast, predatory and opportunistic".
The report says there is no evidence that Savile was part of a paedophile ring, though he could have been part of an "informal network".

Detective Superintendent David Gray, the leading investigator, said: "He spent every minute of every waking day thinking about it whenever an opportunity came along he has taken it. He is programmed to think and act in that way. He only picked the most vulnerable, the ones least likely to speak out against him."

Savile preyed on 450 victims, aged between eight and 47, over a 54-year period. Almost a fifth of his victims were boys.
One of the most striking figures in the report relates to the number of children under 10 who were abused by Savile.
A total of 18 girls and 10 boys under the age of 10 were abused by Savile, with 23 girls and 15 boys aged 10 to 13.

Savile's earliest reported offence was in Manchester in 1955. He went on to sexually abuse children at the BBC from 1965 to 2006 - the date of the final Top of the Pops; at Leeds General Infirmary, where he volunteered as a porter, from 1965 to 1995; at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, where he was also a porter, from 1965 to 1988, and at Duncroft School between 1970 and 1978.

Other offences were committed at Broadmoor secure hospital, where he had his own room, at his holiday cottage at Glencoe in the Highlands and in his mobile home.

Savile was investigated by police five times while he was still alive - by the Met in the 1980s and in 2003, by Surrey Police from 2007 to 2009, by Sussex Police in 2008 and by Jersey Police in 2008, but none of them resulted in charges. The Crown Prosecution Service has today released a separate report into its reasons for deciding not to press charges.
Peter Watt, NSPCC director of child protection advice and awareness, who co-wrote the report, said the scale of Savile's abuse "simply beggared belief".
The two most prolific years of his offending were 1975 and 1976, with 15 offences committed in each year.

Savile, who died in October 2011 aged 84, almost certainly abused more than 450 people, as "others will also have experienced abuse but have chosen not to speak out", the report says.
It describes his "peak offending period" as between 1966 and 1976, when he was aged between 40 and 50.

Most of his victims were aged 13 to 16, with 82 per cent of them female and 18 per cent male. Almost three-quarters of the victims - 73 per cent - were aged under 18.

The report suggests that part of the reason Savile was never caught was because at the time he was most active, "police investigation of such crimes was more basic and lacked the specialist skills, knowledge and the collaborative approach of later years".

The report says that a "significant number" of other suspects have been identified, and Operation Yewtree continues to investigate alleged abusers who either knew Savile or operated alone.
The report says that 57 alleged offences by Savile happened on hospital or hospice premises, with 33 in TV or radio studios and 14 in schools.
Of the 34 rape offences, 26 victims were female and eight male.

The report also includes examples of the way Savile targeted his victims.
In 1960 a 10-year-old boy saw Savile outside a hotel and asked for his autograph. They went inside the reception where the boy was seriously sexually assaulted.

In 1972, during a recording of Top of the Pops, a 12-year-old boy and two female friends were groped during a break in filming, and in 2009 a 43-year-old woman was talking to Savile on a train journey between Leeds and London when Savile put his hand up her skirt.

The report concludes: "Perhaps the most important learning from this appalling case is in relation to the children and adults who spoke out about Jimmy Savile at the time.
"Too often they were not taken seriously. We must not allow this to happen again - those who come forward must be given a voice and swift action taken to verify accounts of abuse."

The report says that Savile committed offences at 14 hospitals, including a Sue Ryder hospice in Leeds and Great Ormond Street children's hospital in London.
As well as Broadmoor, he also committed an offence at Ashworth NHS High Security Unit.

et bloody cetera... :evil:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... girls.html
 
i had coffee with an old friend yesterday and he mentioned that perhaps as well as the donations and charity work being part of a plan to position himself near to his victims and establish a secure location from which to offend ... perhaps in some weird way he was attempting to atone for his crimes ???
 
HenryFort said:
i had coffee with an old friend yesterday and he mentioned that perhaps as well as the donations and charity work being part of a plan to position himself near to his victims and establish a secure location from which to offend ... perhaps in some weird way he was attempting to atone for his crimes ???

Or he was just trying to give the impression that he was a good person.
 
Police told Savile victim she would be 'mincemeat'
Police dissuaded one of Jimmy Savile's victims from giving evidence against him by telling her he was a “big celebrity” who would make “mincemeat” out of her in court, according to an official report.
By Steven Swinford and Gordon Rayner
9:13PM GMT 11 Jan 2013

The woman, who was molested by Savile in a caravan in the 1970s, made a complaint to Sussex Police in 2008 but later decided not to proceed because police told her she would be “all over the newspapers”.
Detectives failed to tell her she would be granted anonymity and that three other women had come forward with similar allegations against Savile.

Keir Starmer, the Director of Public Prosecutions, yesterday apologised to victims and admitted police and prosecutors missed a series of opportunities to bring him to justice. He said there was sufficient evidence at the time to mount a “strong case” against him .

It came as the Metropolitan Police released a report disclosing Savile’s “unprecedented” campaign of abuse over 54 years, including new allegations that he had attacked a patient in a hospice and even used the final edition of Top of the Pops to commit crimes.

Commander Peter Spindler, who is heading the Operation Yewtree inquiry into abuse by Savile and others, said the former Jim’ll Fix It presenter, who died in 2011 aged 84, had “groomed a nation”. He said 450 victims had come forward, though the true number could be “far higher”.

Prosecutors also published details of a police interview with Savile in 2009, in which he told two female police officers that they would “finish up at the Old Bailey” unless allegations against him “disappeared”.

...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... emeat.html

Savile - so vile. :evil:
 
The Telegraph seem to be at cross purposes:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... stice.html

Like most people, I believe the gist of the report – in the loose sense that I believe that Jimmy Savile did horrible, criminal things to young people, mainly to girls. But this is not exact knowledge: it is based on the stories which keep being repeated in the media and on the feeling, which one got from anecdotes, interviews and documentaries about Savile when he was alive, that he was sexually sinister. What would be valuable from an official report, surely, would be actual evidence. This report contains none, in a sense which a court would recognise.

The central problem crops up as early as the fourth paragraph. This states that the investigation – Operation Yewtree – has “collated all the allegations against Savile, irrespective of where the offences took place”. It jumps straight from “allegations” to “offences”. It assumes that because allegations were made, the offences were committed. It declares that 214 incidents have now been “formally recorded” as crimes. It treats allegations as facts. By doing so, it undermines justice.

Aware of a bit of a difficulty here, the report admits that “the information has not been corroborated”. Corroboration would be “considered disproportionate”, it goes on, given that criminal proceedings cannot now be brought because Savile is dead. So all we have are claims. The report seeks to justify itself by saying that “the patterns and similarities” of his “offences and behaviours” reported have “given police and NSPCC staff an informed view that most people have provided compelling accounts of what happened to them”. So, it suggests, the rest of us must believe them...

There's more, and avoid the comments which go into rants about the emascualtion of the modern male or whatever, but here's a piece of journalism about the other report out yesterday which received almost no publicity:
http://www.annaraccoon.com/annas-person ... nce-sense/

Which appears to put the source of the allegations of shaky foundations. I don't know what the hell to believe anymore.
 
Which appears to put the source of the allegations of shaky foundations. I don't know what the hell to believe anymore.

No indeed. Fascinating read, thanks for posting it.
 
Quake42 said:
Which appears to put the source of the allegations of shaky foundations. I don't know what the hell to believe anymore.

No indeed. Fascinating read, thanks for posting it.

No problem. I suppose we could reserve judgement until the hospital report is published, but not a lot of people have been reserving judgement up until now.
 
I'll sling this in here rather than starting another Saville thread... and because it's bloody hilarious.

CBeebies apologises for Tweenies Jimmy Savile spoof

CBeebies has apologised after a character from the children's TV programme The Tweenies appeared dressed as disgraced TV presenter Jimmy Savile.

The episode, which was filmed in 2001, was shown on the BBC before 0900 GMT.

In the scene, the character Max appeared in a blonde wig, wearing Savile's trademark tracksuits and using his accent and catchphrases.

Police say DJ and presenter Savile sexually abused hundreds of people during 60 years in entertainment.

The BBC said: "This morning CBeebies broadcast a repeat of an episode of the Tweenies, originally made in 2001, featuring a character dressed as a DJ impersonating Jimmy Savile. This programme will not be repeated and we are very sorry for any offence caused."

The episode, featured the character Max presenting a Top Of The Pops-style programme. He was wearing a wig and used Savile's familiar catchphrase: "Now then, guys and gals."

The gaffe was picked up by fans on social networking sites such as Twitter.

Glenn Ebrey tweeted: "Dear CBeebies, I'm not sure this was a good choice of DJ to impersonate on The Tweenies today."

Kenny Senior wrote "Are BBC trying to self destruct? Max from Tweenies dressed as Jimmy Savile just now nearly chokes on my cornflakes."

A recent Metropolitan police report into allegations of sexual abuse against Savile, who died in 2011 aged 84, concluded the presenter and DJ was a "prolific, predatory sex offender" who abused more than 200 people over a 60-year period.

The Tweenies, which was a co-production between Tell-Tale Productions and the BBC was cancelled in 2003 but episodes have been repeated regularly since then.

Episodes mixed stories, song and creative activities aimed at helping children to learn through play.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-21108337
 
I don't understand why they apologised for it - they made that show in 2001.
 
Jimmy Savile estate and BBC sued over alleged abuse

The estate of Jimmy Savile and the BBC are being sued by alleged sex abuse victims of the late DJ and presenter.
Solicitor Alan Collins, of law firm Pannone, said a writ had been issued at the High Court on behalf of 31 alleged victims.
All claimants were taking action against Savile's estate, while up to eight were also suing the BBC, he said.

More than 90 people are pursuing legal action in the wake of allegations of abuse by Savile.
The cases had been put on hold until the outcome of a series of inquiries by the police, the BBC and the NHS amongst others.

Mr Collins said that the number of people getting in touch with Pannone over alleged abuse still "grows on a daily basis".
He said: "The purpose of issuing the writ is to protect our clients' position and to seek management directions from the court to ensure the claims are administered as efficiently as possible.
"At this stage we are unable to expand in detail on the nature of the cases or the allegations that have been made, which range in seriousness from inappropriate behaviour to serious sexual abuse."

In statement, the BBC said: "We're unable to comment on any legal claims of this nature made against the corporation."

Last November, formal letters of claim on behalf of 36 people were sent by another firm, Russell Jones & Walker, to the Savile estate, the BBC, Leeds General Infirmary, Stoke Mandeville and Broadmoor hospitals.
NatWest bank, executor to the late presenter's £4m estate, has frozen the account.

Savile, who died in 2011 aged 84, was a Radio 1 DJ and the presenter of the Jim'll Fix It show on BBC One.

Last month a Metropolitan Police report said he had abused adults and children across the country over a time span of 50 years. The NSPCC said Savile had been one of the most prolific sex offenders in its 129-year history.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21440827
 
Former police inspector investigated over Jimmy Savile

An ex-policeman is being investigated over claims he "acted on behalf" of Jimmy Savile before the TV presenter was interviewed by officers.
The former police inspector is accused of contacting Surrey Police in 2009 during an inquiry into historical sex abuse allegations against Savile.
He has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) by West Yorkshire Police.
Savile allegedly abused hundreds of people during 60 years in showbusiness.

In October 2009, Savile was interviewed under caution by Surrey Police about alleged sexual offences involving teenage girls in the 1970s, but no further action was taken against him.

BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw says during the inquiry a police inspector from West Yorkshire contacted Surrey to say he was "known personally" to Savile and passed on the late presenter's phone number.

"During the police interview, Savile named an inspector and said police had been to his home for tea. The IPCC is examining whether the actions of the police inspector who contacted Surrey amounted to misconduct," he said.

Surrey Police's investigation into claims against Savile - known as Operation Ornament - began on 13 May 2007 and concluded on 30 October 2009 with no further action.

Following Savile's death in 2011 and further abuse claims, a report into the way Surrey Police dealt with the allegations was published last month. In the report, the former police inspector from West Yorkshire is referred to as Inspector 5.
The inspector contacted Surrey Police on 8 June 2009 and explained that Savile had lost the contact details of one of the investigating officers.

The report says: "Inspector 5 then passed a telephone number to Inspector 12 advising that Savile can be contacted and possibly seen tomorrow at Stoke Mandeville Hospital...
"Inspector 12 outlined the conversation with Inspector 5 and made reference to the fact that he was known personally to Savile and that Savile gets many of these complaints."

The IPCC has asked seven forces, including West Yorkshire, to consider if any other officers should be investigated over the way they handled complaints against Jimmy Savile.
The other forces are Surrey, Sussex, Thames Valley, Greater Manchester, the Metropolitan Police and Lancashire.

The decision follows the IPCC's review of recently published reports - Operation Yewtree, a Scotland Yard inquiry established in the wake of the Savile scandal, the Crown Prosecution Service report by Alison Levitt QC and Operation Ornament.

In addition, the IPCC also reviewed information supplied by West Yorkshire Police, Sussex Police and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC). The inspectorate is preparing a report for the home secretary on information known to the police and the response to historical allegations of criminal conduct in relation to Savile.

IPCC commissioner Rachel Cerfontyne said: "Having had the opportunity to assess all the information that is available to us, I directed West Yorkshire Police to record and refer the conduct of a former inspector.
"Furthermore, I believe that all the forces that may have had intelligence concerning the late Jimmy Savile should now go back and consider all the relevant information and materials they possess that may highlight any recordable conduct issues for the IPCC to assess."

Mark Burns-Williamson, police and crime commissioner for West Yorkshire, welcomed the IPCC's involvement.
"It is vitally important that the people of West Yorkshire and elsewhere understand what happened and the role that the police played during the many years that Savile lived in West Yorkshire and committed such shocking crimes here and throughout the UK," he said.

Savile, who died in 2011 aged 84, was a Radio 1 DJ and the presenter of the Jim'll Fix It show on BBC One.

Last month a Metropolitan Police report said he had abused adults and children across the country over decades. Children's charity NSPCC said Savile had been one of the most prolific sex offenders in its 129-year history.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21520060
 
Oh, such cross-threading fun when you delve in to the redtops:

Jimmy Savile and the Cardinal: Britain's top Catholic cleric was friend of disgraced TV host
26 Feb 2013

The snap, taken six years ago, emerged last night after Cardinal Keith O’Brien quit amid allegations of “inappropriate acts” towards fellow priests.
The photo was taken in Edinburgh in 2007 as fund-raiser Savile and the cardinal unveiled a £375,000 vehicle for the disabled.

The pair first met in the 70s, when O’Brien was a priest in Kilsyth, North Lanarkshire – and worked with a friend of Savile’s mum.
Another priest at Kilsyth at the time has been suspended following claims of abuse against two young victims.
It was Cardinal O’Brien who ordered the investigation last September.

When Savile’s vile secrets became known, the cardinal called for him to be stripped of his papal knighthood, awarded in 1990.

Cardinal O’Brien quit just 24 hours before he was due to fly to Rome to help choose the next pope.
He stepped down with immediate effect amid accusations of “inappropriate acts” towards fellow priests – claims he strongly denied.

The controversial cleric said he did not want the scandal surrounding him to overshadow the papal election.
His resignation followed a series of recent allegations against him dating back to the 80s by three priests and one former priest.

The ex-priest claimed the cardinal made an inappropriate approach after night prayers at St Andrew’s College, Drygrange.
Another said he was living in a parish when he was visited by O’Brien, and inappropriate contact took place.
A third accused him of “unwanted behaviour” after late-night drinking.
And a fourth alleged he used night prayers as excuse for inappropriate contact.

Yesterday it emerged Pope Benedict had accepted O’Brien’s resignation a week ago.

The cardinal, Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, said in a statement: “I have valued the opportunity of serving the people of Scotland and overseas in various ways since becoming a priest.
“Looking back over my years of ministry, for any good I have been able to do, I thank God. For any failures, I apologise to all whom I have offended.”

The cardinal, who missed celebrating mass at St Mary’s Cathedral in Edinburgh on Sunday, had been due at the Vatican today to join the conclave to elect Pope Benedict’s successor.
Only a few days ago he appeared on TV showing the ballot paper he would be using.
His sudden departure means Britain will be unrepresented in the process as he was the only cardinal in the British Catholic churches.

Announcing his decision not to take part, he said: “I do not wish media attention in Rome to be focused on me – but rather on Pope Benedict XVI and on his successor.
"However, I will pray with them and for them that, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, they will make the correct choice for the good of the Church.”

O’Brien, who was made a cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 2003, tendered his resignation in November citing “indifferent health”.
But he had not been expected to step down until his 75th birthday on March 17.

Scotland’s first minister Alex Salmond said yesterday: “In all of my dealings with the cardinal, he has been a considerate and thoughtful leader of the Catholic church in Scotland, stalwart in his faith but constructive in his approach.”

Mr Salmond said it would be a “great pity if a lifetime of positive work was lost from comment in the circumstances of his resignation.”
He added: “None of us know the outcome of the investigation into the claims made against him but I have found him to be a good man for his church and country.”

Jack Valero, of lobby group Catholic Voices, said it was right for Cardinal O’Brien to resign.
He said: “I am very happy that this has been taken seriously, that the nuncio – the Pope’s representative in the UK – has written to the four people who have made the allegations to thank them for speaking out, and that the whole thing has been done so quickly.
"I think this shows a new spirit.”

Cardinal O’Brien, who – along with Prince Philip – welcomed Pope Benedict to Scotland in 2010, was no stranger to controversy.
He recently clashed with the Scottish government over its plans to enshrine same-sex marriage in law by 2015.
A year ago he described gay marriage as a “grotesque subversion of a universally accepted human right”.

etc...

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ji ... en-1731376
 
Rolf Harris arrested:

Rolf Harris questioned in Yewtree sex offence probe The entertainer and artist has been granted bail until May Continue reading the main story
Related Stories
Man, 82, held over sexual offences
Savile police quiz man in his 80s

Rolf Harris has been questioned by police over historical allegations of sexual offences.

The 83-year-old entertainer and artist was interviewed under caution after attending police premises in south London by appointment in November.

On 28 March, Mr Harris, from Berkshire, was arrested and bailed until May.

He was held as part of the inquiry set up after claims were made against Jimmy Savile although his arrest is unrelated to the former BBC DJ and TV presenter.

Operation Yewtree was set up following the death of Savile in 2011, when hundreds of sex abuse allegations came to light.

The Metropolitan Police did not name Mr Harris after he was first questioned or following his arrest and have still not formally identified him. He is described by them as Yewtree 5.

Although the media were aware of Mr Harris's name in November, they chose only to report that an 82-year-old man had been questioned. His name was first reported by the Sun on its website and later editions of the newspaper on Friday.

Twelve arrests

Mr Harris, a fixture on British TV screens for more than 40 years, arrived in the UK from his native Australia in 1952.

His home in Berkshire was searched in November but he was not in the house at that point.

Scotland Yard said in March: "An 82-year-old man from Berkshire was arrested by officers on Operation Yewtree on suspicion of sexual offences.

"He has been bailed to a date in May pending further inquiries. The individual falls under the strand of the investigation we have termed 'others'."

Mr Harris, one of 12 people arrested as part of Operation Yewtree, has not yet made any public comment.

The police investigation has three strands.

One is looking specifically at the actions of Savile, and the second strand concerns allegations against "Savile and others".

The third strand relates to complaints against other people unconnected to the Savile investigations, made by people who came forward after widespread coverage of the scandal.

Other high-profile names who were questioned in connection with the investigation are PR consultant Max Clifford, comedian Freddie Starr, DJ Dave Lee Travis and comedian Jim Davidson - who all deny any wrongdoing. Gary Glitter, 69, whose real name is Paul Gadd, who was also arrested, has not yet made a statement.

A former driver for the BBC, David Smith, 66, has been charged with past sex offences following his arrest in December.

A former BBC producer, Wilfred De'Ath, arrested last year in Cambridgeshire over an allegation of indecent assault on a girl in the 1960s, has been told he will not face any charges.

Link

Although probably the worst kept secret on the blogosphere, it appears that the mainstream press were treading very lightly on this one prior to the arrest due I suspect to his profile as a much beloved entertainer and his age.
 
No, not Rolf, please not him! I'm upset enough that Stuart "It's a Knockout" Hall was arrested, but Rolf Harris seem so unlikely a candidate for this sort of thing.

On the general subject of these other Yewtree arrests, has anyone else even been charged yet, let alone tried? It just seems to me that mud, once slung, tends to stick, and guilty or innocent, all these men will forever have the whiff of scandal surrounding them. And I hope to God that they weren't all at it...
 
On the general subject of these other Yewtree arrests, has anyone else even been charged yet, let alone tried?

Pretty sure there have been no charges. I struggle to see how the CPS could prosecute some of the cases on the basis of what we know. As I said on the other thread I have a nagging suspicion that police may be revelling in the arrests of celebrities even though there is precious little evidence that they're guilty of anything.
 
At the moment most forces are struggling to resource a normal working weekend let alone be wasting money and time with spurious arrests - especially those which will inevitably lead to them being lambasted in the press for not nicking them twenty years ago.
 
How long has this enormous delay between arrest and charge been permitted?

I've fortunately never fallen foul of the law in any serious way but I thought it was a basic principle that after arrest you had to be charged in a certain period - of hours or days, not months. Or have I been watching too many US cop shows? And I thought bail was for _after_ you were charged.

It certainly seems highly unfair to put people into a sort of indefinite limbo - even a non-celeb is going to have problems if they are arrested and nothing else happens for months or years - people have a habit of assuming the worst.

Any ex-Police or budding lawyers out there who can summarise the actual position in UK law?
 
How long has this enormous delay between arrest and charge been permitted?

I'm not an expert in this field but my understanding is that it is developed gradually over a couple of decades. I *think* there was a court case about it a while ago and the magistrate/judge ruled that the delays were unacceptable which led to an almighty panic which was subsequently fudged in some way.

It certainly seems highly unfair to put people into a sort of indefinite limbo - even a non-celeb is going to have problems if they are arrested and nothing else happens for months or years - people have a habit of assuming the worst.

Agreed - completely unacceptable and no incentive for the police to pull their finger out and get on with the investigation.
 
Pinched from my work intranet.....!

Bail (47/3 bail/bail before charge/Part 4 bail) is granted when someone has been arrested for an offence and there is not enough evidence to charge them at that time. So to stop them being held in custody any longer they are granted bail, normally with the only condition being to return to the police station at a certain time and date.

Upon return to the station, the person should be either charged or refused charged (released from bail without charge). The time period for returning to the station is usually a couple of weeks in order to give the police time to gather the necessary evidence such as statements, CCTV evidence, identification procedures and forensic evidence.

EDIT: Doesn't explain why it goes on for longer than two weeks - evidence gathering, I guess.....
 
Doesn't explain why it goes on for longer than two weeks - evidence gathering, I guess...

Some of the original arrests were more than six months ago now. If the evidence at the time was so shonky I would question whether they should have been arrested at all. It does look like headline grabbing as much as anything else.
 
Quake42 said:
Doesn't explain why it goes on for longer than two weeks - evidence gathering, I guess...

Some of the original arrests were more than six months ago now. If the evidence at the time was so shonky I would question whether they should have been arrested at all. It does look like headline grabbing as much as anything else.

I've known cases drag on for over a year - anything that involves digging through computers and phones for evidence. Basically, if you get accused of something "digital" you can kiss goodbye to your laptop or mobile for at least six or seven months while it gets to the front of the queue.

Not sure how relevant that is in this case though. There has to be evidence enough for the police to act in the first place, but do we know if any of these celebs are still under suspicion? They may have just been questioned and released without charge - but that story doesn't sell papers.
 
There has to be evidence enough for the police to act in the first place, but do we know if any of these celebs are still under suspicion? They may have just been questioned and released without charge - but that story doesn't sell papers.

Indeed not, but it has been reported that all of those originally arrested (with the exception of the BBC producer guy -De'Ath?) remain on police bail. Had the police confirmed they had no intention to charge then I am quite sure the cleared celebs would have shouted it from the rooftops.

It strikes me that there needs to be a limit - 3 months perhaps - for police bail with the understanding that the individual is charged or the matter dropped at that stage.
 
Oh I do agree with you - I'm not saying what happens is right, I'm just saying what happens.

The system is strained to the limit and waiting times are what gives. Just like the NHS.
 
Now the cops are in the spotlight:

Jimmy Savile investigator faces inquiry
The police's dealings with Jimmy Savile are under renewed scrutiny after a senior officer who led an inquiry into her force’s dealings with the paedophile was herself placed under investigation.
By Claire Duffin, Josie Ensor and Robert Mendick
9:30PM BST 18 May 2013

Nick Gargan, the chief constable of Avon and Somerset, is examining Assistant Chief Constable Ingrid Lee’s business relationship with serving and retired officers of West Yorkshire Police.

Mrs Lee commissioned and oversaw the force’s internal inquiry into its dealings with Savile, whose main home was in Leeds and who had a close association with the local police.
He hosted eight officers for regular “Friday Morning Club” meetings in his flat and fronted crime prevention campaigns.

She was placed under investigation yesterday after The Sunday Telegraph found she was a director of a property firm alongside four current or former officers from the force.

Mr Gargan will lead an investigation into whether Mrs Lee, 47, followed guidelines which say business dealings by serving officers must be fully declared and cannot present any appearance of allowing an officer to be unduly influenced.

Mrs Lee, who lives in Leeds, has not been suspended and there is no suggestion of wrongdoing.
She is one of 14 directors of Oree Activite. Four others are former or serving police officers. She was previously a director of a second company which had three other officers as directors.

The Sunday Telegraph asked whether any of the officers Mrs Lee is in business with were members of the Friday Morning Club or had dealings with Savile. We also asked whether Mrs Lee declared her business interest to superiors or to the team carrying out the investigation.

The force declined to comment on the questions. It also said Mrs Lee had no statement to make and that she had not been suspended, saying that would be a matter for Mr Gargan to decide.

West Yorkshire was already under scrutiny over its dealings with Savile. It was only in March, months after the start of Operation Yewtree — the main inquiry into Savile’s abuse — that 35 of its officers and staff came forward with information about his offending, leading to two new victims being identified and 11 further lines of inquiry.

A spokesman said yesterday that it was the decision of its former chief constable, John Parkinson, not to appoint an external force to investigate its dealings with Savile.

The new inquiry came as the officer leading Operation Yewtree, Detective Superintendent David Gray, said the police had grown too close to Savile and insisted an era when police mixed with celebrities was now over.
He said: “The great danger of the celebrity culture is that it makes it much harder for victims to come forward. The challenge is to make sure this does not happen again. That is where people are having to reassess their relationships.”

The BBC and hospital authorities have also been accused of failing to properly investigate Savile. On several occasions over five decades, police received intelligence about Savile but he was never arrested or charged.

Asked if he was surprised it had taken so long for some police to come forward, Det Supt Gray refused to comment but added: “Everybody knew. We had people phoning in [in the early stages] from Canada and Australia.”
He said: “Did we miss any opportunities to bring him to justice? That is a question I would pose. Did we? We will have to leave that hanging.”
He added: “People cannot believe this happened under our noses. Of course we challenge ourselves to ask was there something we could have done differently and that challenge was for West Yorkshire and also for us [Scotland Yard].”

Det Supt Gray said the initial scale of the allegations was overwhelming. Operation Yewtree has snowballed from a handful of complaints made against Savile in a television documentary into the pursuit of Britain’s most prolific sex offender, with detectives having completed 377 individual crime reports.
Thirty officers are working on Yewtree, processing 6,000 documents and the officer said he expected more arrests after the search through evidence.

However some victims have still to be contacted. “I wish we had got to victims sooner,” he said. “There are some people still who we have not reached because for whatever reason their contact details are not correct or they didn’t give us the correct details at the time. Maybe a dozen victims.”

Other celebrities — unconnected to Savile — have also been arrested by officers working on Operation Yewtree as a result of a new “watershed” which has led to alleged victims, who had feared their complaints would be ignored, coming forward.

Det Supt Gray disclosed that Savile was thought to have sexually assaulted eight children, both boys and girls, who were aged five at the time. A previous Operation Yewtree report in January had said the youngest victim was aged eight.

The Metropolitan Police received complaints from two adults in October saying they were assaulted by Savile when they were five. Those allegations were not fully pursued until after the report in January. “We were very, very busy because of the sheer number of victims,” said Det Supt Gray. “We wanted to speak to everyone but we couldn’t travel the breadth of the country.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... quiry.html
 
'Savile and schoolgirls' Lauder float criticised by MSP

An MSP has described as "distasteful" a fancy-dress float featuring a man dressed as Jimmy Savile.

The float was taking part in a parade following the Lauder Common Riding celebrations in the Borders.

It featured a man dressed as the late television presenter and several others dressed as schoolgirls.

"We have never censored anyone who has entered the event. It is up to the individuals who enter and their conscience to decide how they wish to express themselves”

Christine Grahame, whose constituency includes Lauder, said the float was "not a good idea" and in "plain bad taste".

She added that the events were supposed to be fun and common sense should have prevailed to stop the float taking part.

The Jim'll Fix It branded float was entered into the Lauder parade by members of the local Twenty 10 Club on 31 July - and was awarded third place in the Best Vehicle category.

etc

Frustratingly, there don't seem to be any pictures. :lol:
 
I'd disagree on the taste front - it's extraordinarily bad taste, but that doesn't mean it should be banned, necessarily. It's no worse, and seen by infinitely fewer people, than Frankie Boyle just opening and closing his mouth on broadcast TV, for example.

Turning a folk-monster into an object of derision is time-honoured way of demystifying and un-empowering them. I remember Mel Brooks, years ago, being asked why he so frequently lampooned Nazis, especially given his heritage - and that was his reply. Being the object of laughter is more humiliating than being the object of hate, and in his opinion parodying the Third Reich was a far more enjoyable form of contempt than yet another po-faced documentary about them - and far more likely to be watched.
 
stuneville said:
I'd disagree on the taste front - it's extraordinarily bad taste, but that doesn't mean it should be banned, necessarily. It's no worse, and seen by infinitely fewer people, than Frankie Boyle just opening and closing his mouth on broadcast TV, for example.

...
True enough. Going by the posts, in the comments section of the Border Telegraph story, above, it's certainly divided opinion in Lauder.
 
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