Scotland Yard to investigate Jimmy Savile case after claim that some abusers are still alive
THE Jimmy Savile case has been, putting it mildly, thoroughly distressing. On one hand, you have abhorrent claims that a celebrity abused their power, good name, charity work and more, to sexually assault children. On the other, you’ve seen a little piece of everyone else’s childhood die.
And it continues to get murkier as the Metropolitan Police have now said that they’ll be launching an investigation after they are facing alleged abuse “on an unprecedented scale”, with more than 200 victims coming forward and claims that some of the abusers are still alive. With Operation Yewtree, they hope to convict people associated with Savile’s paedophilia.
The BBC are also undergoing their own independent investigation into the allegations, running in tandem with the police inquiry.
Met Commander Peter Spindler said:
“The public’s response to this issue has been astounding. We are dealing with alleged abuse on an unprecedented scale. The profile of this operation has empowered a staggering number of victims to come forward to report the sexual exploitation which occurred during their childhood.”
“I am pleased that victims feel confident enough to speak out about the abuse they suffered and would like to reassure the public that we take all these cases very seriously and they will be investigated with the utmost sensitivity. Anyone with information or concerns should call NSPCC on 0808 800 5000.”
A Scotland Yard spokesman said:
“Operation Yewtree, the enquiry into alleged child sexual exploitation by the late Jimmy Savile and others, has moved from an assessment to a formal criminal investigation. After two weeks of gathering information from both the public and a number of organisations, in excess of 400 lines of enquiry have been assessed and over 200 potential victims have been identified.”
“As we have said from the outset, our work was never going to take us into a police investigation into Jimmy Savile. What we have established in the last two weeks is that there are lines of inquiry involving living people that require formal investigation. We acknowledge the appointment of Dame Janet Smith to lead the BBC commissioned review into this matter and recognise her need to progress this important work.”
“We are now in a position to advise the BBC that they can ask the chair of the BBC Executive Board Dame Fiona Reynolds to begin the review to run parallel to our investigation. We will develop a protocol to ensure any future potential criminal action is not jeopardised.”
Alongside all this, it has emerged that Savile confessed to a reporter that his reputation would plummet after his death. The Jewish Chronicle obtained a transcript of the interview, where Savile said: “When I’m gone, they’ll say: ‘I always thought he was straight but he wasn’t – he was crooked'”, adding that he wasn’t “a straight punter.”
Posted: 20th, October 2012 | In: Celebrities Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
