0/5

Jimmy Savile allegations: BBC “must have known”

Allegations of sexual abuse against late British comedian deepen.

Sexual abuse allegations against the former Top of the Pops host have deepened in the UK.

Dozens of women have now come forward to claim the late Jimmy Savile abused them while they were patients at Broadmoor Hospital, Stoke Mandeville Hospital and Leeds General Infirmary where Savile worked as a porter in the 1970s.

They follow the screening of ITV1 documentary Exposure: The Other Side Of Jimmy Savile.

Savile is also accused of assaulting women at BBC Television Centre.

Disabled actress Julie Fernande, who appeared in The Office, revealed that she had been a victim of Savile’s groping when she appeared on Jim’ll Fix It at the age of 14.

”I was in my wheelchair, but I just remember his hands being everywhere and just lingering those two, three, four seconds slightly too long in places they shouldn’t. But it wasn’t particularly obvious either,” she said.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said, “I just keep asking myself why did this remain buried for so long. The only explanation I can come up with is what we are seeing is the dark side of the culture of celebrity, and actually in this case it wasn’t a culture of celebrity it was the cult of celebrity.”

BBC Director General George Entwistle has promised an inquiry will take place at the corporation when police investigations have concluded.

A solicitor said today she had had heard from victims of Savile’s alleged abuse who were interested in pursuing either the BBC or Stoke Mandeville hospital for compensation.

BBC director-general George Entwistle has told a senior colleague to answer questions over why a Newsnight BBC documentary on Savile did not air.

Newsnight editor, Peter Rippon, posted a blog saying it was purely an editorial decision to halt the broadcast, with no interference from BBC bosses, and that his staff had not held information from police.

BBC Trust chairman Lord Patten has described the allegations against Savile as a ‘cesspit’.

Police believe the late DJ could have abused as many as 25 victims over 40 years.

Source: Metro, Telegraph

3 Responses

  1. It’s awful news if true. I grew up with Jim’ll Fix It on the BBC in the UK.

    I just keep wondering why this all comes out now that he has passed away and from so many people.

    Some of it goes back to the 70s or earlier. He cannot defend or explain himself.

    He was a popular hero to many until last month. Now he’ll be a pariah forever.

  2. This is terrible news all round. He raised large amounts of money for charity and seemed to spend most of his life helping others and then……all this. An inquiry will be essential and could have huge liability implications for the BBC as many of his shows were produced ‘in-house’. Then you look at the convictions for Gary Glitter and Jonathan King, the Benny Hill style comedy and I guess it was an era when the boundaries were pushed beyond what is acceptable. Don’t be surprised if other ‘celebs’ get dragged into this…

    It is sad that JS is not around to defend himself or face up to his alleged victims

Leave a Reply