Jimmy Savile rape accusations [Hall, Harris, Roache, et al]

Priene

Out to lunch
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 25, 2007
Messages
6,422
Reaction score
879
Savile's name is now firmly linked with the Haut de la Garenne children's home abuse scandal.

The former head of the Jersey child abuse investigation has said he now suspects that Sir Jimmy Savile was implicated in the Haut de la Garenne children's home abuse scandal.

Lenny Harper said he now has "no reason to doubt" that Savile was involved in indecent assault at the notorious Jersey children's home, despite there being insufficient evidence to question the Jim'll Fix It star when he was alive.

The observation came on the day that the BBC's director general, George Entwistle, gave his first interview regarding the row, and indicated that the broadcaster would "take a look properly" and hold its own inquiry once the police investigation into alleged sexual abuse by the late DJ and presenter closes.

Harper, the detective who led Jersey's three-year child abuse probe, told the Guardian that Savile's name came up in the initial police inquiry in 2008 – but there were no specific allegations of abuse against the BBC presenter at the time.

He added: "There definitely wasn't enough even to question him at the time, but in light of all the evidence that has come out then I'm not surprised because it fits perfectly the profile of what was going on."

A solicitor who acted for victims of child abuse in Jersey also told the Guardian that some former Haut de la Garenne residents, both women and men, now claim they were assaulted by Savile in the 1970s.

And Freddie Starr - accused of groping a 14-year old who was also assaulted by Savile - has had to rescind his denial of ever having appeared when clips from 1974's Clunkity Click were unearthed.

His lawyers clarified the matter after Channel 4 News broadcast footage of Starr with Karin Ward, the woman who has accused him and Savile of assaulting her.

The lawyers continued: "It would now appear from seeing footage of a Clunk Click show aired in 1974 that in fact Freddie was mistaken and therefore that he had in fact been on a Jimmy Savile show
 

writeontime

Why so serious?
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 3, 2012
Messages
208
Reaction score
18
Location
UK
I remember reading the articles about the Haut de la Garenne children's home abuse scandal.

And now, according to the Guardian article, Saville was linked to it too.

Having read the Guardian article today, what I don't sufficiently understand are the following sentences (in bold):

Harper, the detective who led Jersey's three-year child abuse probe, told the Guardian that Savile's name came up in the initial police inquiry in 2008 – but there were no specific allegations of abuse against the BBC presenter at the time.

[...]

He said Savile's name was mentioned several times during the police investigation of 2008 but that the evidence did not seem to stack up at the time.


"The evidence did not seem to stack up'" and "no specific allegations" - is he suggesting that Saville's name did not crop up at that time or not?

Interesting to see Starr rescind his denial...
 
Last edited:

writeontime

Why so serious?
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 3, 2012
Messages
208
Reaction score
18
Location
UK
Just read this article by Michael White, which is posted on The Guardian.


On this occasion the BBC's critics make a powerful case that senior management turned a blind eye to Savile's alleged abuse of young people. It's not hard to see why, but its explanations have been unpersuasive. Adults then had more unquestioned authority over children; the public and (especially) police were less bothered.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/oct/08/jimmy-savile-jersey-childrens-home resurfaced/
 
Last edited:

Torgo

Formerly Phantom of Krankor.
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 7, 2005
Messages
7,632
Reaction score
1,204
Location
London, UK
Website
torgoblog.blogspot.com
Just read this article by Michael White, which is posted on The Guardian.


Just a tip - it's bad form to gank that much of an article and post it here. A short extract - a paragraph, say - and a link is fine, but you're basically infringing the Guardian's copyright there.
 

writeontime

Why so serious?
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 3, 2012
Messages
208
Reaction score
18
Location
UK
Oops. My apologies. I'll edit now. Thanks.
 

Six Alaric

The terror, the terror
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 8, 2012
Messages
866
Reaction score
115
Just read this article by Michael White, which is posted on The Guardian.

Interesting article.

I'd been wondering how this had managed to evade certain tabloids for so long when it seemed like there wasn't a single British celebrity they weren't spying on.
 

Shakesbear

knows a hawk from a handsaw
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 4, 2008
Messages
3,628
Reaction score
463
Location
Elsinore
That is one horrible gravestone.

That pic was not there when I posted the link - and yes - vulgar is the word I'd use.

Meanwhile, Scotland Yard say 20 - 25 women may have been abused. They're pursuing 120 lines of inquiry, which seems a little over the top, given there's no chance of Savile being brought to justice.

My thoughts as well.
 

writeontime

Why so serious?
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 3, 2012
Messages
208
Reaction score
18
Location
UK

writeontime

Why so serious?
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 3, 2012
Messages
208
Reaction score
18
Location
UK
Interesting article.

I'd been wondering how this had managed to evade certain tabloids for so long when it seemed like there wasn't a single British celebrity they weren't spying on.

I've been wondering about the same thing too...
 

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman
Super Moderator
Absolute Sage
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 12, 2005
Messages
22,454
Reaction score
4,956
Location
In chaos
There's no chance of Savile being brought to justice: but there is a chance that those involved in covering up his alleged abuse could be, and his victims deserve to be heard.
 

frimble3

Heckuva good sport
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 7, 2006
Messages
11,574
Reaction score
6,396
Location
west coast, canada
It's like prosecuting 90 year old men as war criminals. It's not so much to punish them, but to shake up the others: don't get complacant, don't think that you got away with it. When you've hidden yourself, changed your identity, made a new life, think you're free from retribution, you'll still be found out.
In this case, even a public tribute, a fine funeral and a big memorial will not keep the truth from coming out.
|It's not so much about Jimmy Savile, it's to rattle the next guy, and, hopefully, encourage any other victims to get help.

And by 'other victims', I include people going through similar stuff, who have also been told not to say anything, that no-one will believe them over their assailant, that they're causing trouble for third-parties, etc.
 
Last edited:

tamara

What the what?
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 27, 2012
Messages
110
Reaction score
8
Location
NC, US
Every time I hear this, I want to ask, "And how many people did you report it to?" And "How many people did you warn not to let their kids audition for him?"

I can't help but wonder if they are overcompensating because they feel stupid that he fooled them. I hope so.

An amazing number of people seem to have heard of them, but not actually done anything about them.


This makes my heart hurt.

An acquaintance of ours witnessed some disturbing, but not explicitly sexual, behavior between our band leader and one of the early-teen girls who played in the band. She said nothing to anyone, but quit the band without an explanation.

Months later, he was arrested for raping two of those girls, and she said, "I just KNEW something was going on!" Really? So why not SAY SOMETHING, YOU TWIT!

He is, of course, entirely to blame for his own actions (and will be able to reflect on them during his 30-year sentence), but she has to live with the knowledge that she could have done something to protect them, and she didn't.
 

Priene

Out to lunch
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 25, 2007
Messages
6,422
Reaction score
879
The allegations keep getting uglier. Even as a child I found it strange that TV personality was permitted to work as a volunteer porter at a hospital (and there have always been rumours that he was generally hated at those places, but brought in donations), but now it appears he was taking the opportunity to abuse patients, including a brain-damaged hospital patient.

A former nurse at the Leeds hospital where Savile worked as a porter, said he molested a brain-damaged hospital patient. June Thornton was recovering from an operation at Leeds General Infirmary when she says she saw Savile abuse the young girl.
"She had brain damage, and Jimmy Savile came in and kissed her," she told Sky News.

"He started kissing her neck, running his hands up and down her arms, and then started to molest her. Because I was laid flat on my back, there was nothing I could do."

So that's one television station, two childrens' homes and three hospitals accused of allowing Savile an opportunity to rape and abuse minors.


EDIT: Reading the above article, it appears Savile continued to work as a porter at Leeds General Infirmary until his death last year, which implies the abuse may have continued until very recently. If it did, heads are probably going to roll.
 
Last edited:

writeontime

Why so serious?
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 3, 2012
Messages
208
Reaction score
18
Location
UK
Just read the articles on Saville's conduct at these hospitals.

I do wonder if other names are consistently cropping up as part of the wider investigation.

 

Priene

Out to lunch
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 25, 2007
Messages
6,422
Reaction score
879
A former TV Director who worked with Savile for ten years on Top of the Pops claims he 'blew the whistle about Jimmy Savile having sex with a young girl at the BBC but was ignored when he reported the incident to his bosses'.

Nicolson claimed he walked into Savile's dressing room one day and caught him having sex with a "very, very young" girl in his dressing room.


"It was a bog standard changing room in the basement. They both quickly pulled up their pants. The girl could have been 16, maybe 15. But she was just one of many – he always had one in the room," Nicolson told the Sun. "He said 'What do you want, young man?' and shouted at me to get out of the room."

When he reported the incident, he was told "That's Jimmy". "I was revolted by his behaviour. They just shrugged it off, saying 'Yeah, yeah – that's the way it goes.'"
 

firedrake

practical experience, FTW
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 19, 2009
Messages
9,251
Reaction score
7,297
I'm really gobsmacked to learn that he had keys for Broadmoor.
What the hell was that about? You have to have security checks up the wazoo before you can work somewhere like that, and they give him keys? :crazy:
 

Torgo

Formerly Phantom of Krankor.
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 7, 2005
Messages
7,632
Reaction score
1,204
Location
London, UK
Website
torgoblog.blogspot.com
A former TV Director who worked with Savile for ten years on Top of the Pops claims he 'blew the whistle about Jimmy Savile having sex with a young girl at the BBC but was ignored when he reported the incident to his bosses'.

You know what? He didn't 'blow the whistle', did he? He didn't CALL THE POLICE when he saw a man RAPING A CHILD.

Why did these people act like raping a child was some kind of disciplinary matter that needed to be reported to the guy's employers? I don't get it.
 

Six Alaric

The terror, the terror
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 8, 2012
Messages
866
Reaction score
115
When he reported the incident, he was told "That's Jimmy". "I was revolted by his behaviour. They just shrugged it off, saying 'Yeah, yeah – that's the way it goes.'"
This seems to be the overwhelming attitude of a lot of these accounts.

People just put up with it, or were dismissed if they reported their concerns to anyone... it's unbelievable. How was it so massively overlooked and for such a long time?
 

Shakesbear

knows a hawk from a handsaw
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 4, 2008
Messages
3,628
Reaction score
463
Location
Elsinore
You know what? He didn't 'blow the whistle', did he? He didn't CALL THE POLICE when he saw a man RAPING A CHILD.

Why did these people act like raping a child was some kind of disciplinary matter that needed to be reported to the guy's employers? I don't get it.

If the incident happened in the early 1970's to mid 80s, well, it was a different mind set, a different morality. Most likely the girl would have been blamed - if not by the police then probably by the rapist. "It was her fault! The way she dressed!" ya da ya da ya da . . . There was a lot of fear on the part of rape victims, they were all too often made into the guilty one who had led on an innocent man. I do not condone abuse and/or rape but I do understand how hard it was for victims to go to the police. What I do not understand is how some adults who knew what was going on did nothing. Adults who are now 'celebrities'.blech!!
 

seun

Horror Man
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 3, 2006
Messages
9,709
Reaction score
2,053
Age
46
Location
uk
Website
www.lukewalkerwriter.com
It's piss easy to say it now (especially now), but I did find something off about Savile when I was younger. I just put it down to the silly hair and his TV persona. When I was about 16, I took the piss out of him to an elderly relative and got the he does a lot for charity reply.I remember thinking that even though that was true, he was still strange.
 

jilly61

aye aye in search of an agent
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 19, 2009
Messages
24,682
Reaction score
3,490
Location
UK
I met him as he was running along Scarborough beach many years ago. I didn't like the way he looked at my daughter and there was no way I'd ever leave him alone with her. The man had a massive ego and was obviously disappointed that we didn't fall at his feet when he got our attention.

Being strange doesn't automatically make him guilty and I've worked with normal looking sex offenders but I can understand how he could have got away with it for so long.
 

Priene

Out to lunch
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 25, 2007
Messages
6,422
Reaction score
879
You know what? He didn't 'blow the whistle', did he? He didn't CALL THE POLICE when he saw a man RAPING A CHILD.

Why did these people act like raping a child was some kind of disciplinary matter that needed to be reported to the guy's employers? I don't get it.

In this case, he said the girl looked 15 or possibly 16. In the days before Labour introduced the 'position of trust' law that made sex with under-18s illegal for such adults, it would have been a brave call by the producer. She could easily have been 16 -- perhaps she actually was -- in which case Savile would have been in the clear and the producer would have been looking for new employment.

But it was surely in breach of Savile's BBC contract, and he should have been banned from the company decades ago. That he wasn't, and that management are still claiming never to have known anything about Savile despite numerous ex-employees saying the contrary, points to the possibility of serious corporate failure.

I think so far the most shocking example was that Savile had the keys to the wards at Broadmoor. At Broadmoor, of all places. (A high security psychiatric prison, by the way.) The more that comes out about Savile, the more I think I was wrong to say the police shouldn't be spending so much time on it as the man is dead. Savile looks to have been one of the worst serial rapists in the country in modern times, and he was able to go about his business with the connivance of several major public institutions and with the blessing of the charity sector and the wider political establishment (Sir Jimmy). It's a revolting scandal, and it needs to be revealed fully.