Police slated in Savile victims reports
Jimmy Savile was "a prolific, predatory sex offender" who could have been prosecuted for offences against at least three victims while he was alive, two separate reports said today.
The disgraced TV presenter used his celebrity status to "hide in plain sight", with 214 criminal offences now recorded against him across 28 police forces, a report by Scotland Yard and the NSPCC found.
UK Editor Lucy Manning reports:
It also revealed that Savile abused his victims at 14 medical sites including hospitals, mental health units and even a hospice.
Alison Levitt QC, legal adviser to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), said Savile could have been prosecuted in 2009 had police taken victims more seriously.
600 people came forward to report sex abuse in the UK-wide scandal.
450 of the 600 cases related to Savile.
214 criminal offences were recorded against Savile, including 34 rapes, of which 28 of those were under the age of 18.
126 indecent acts by Savile.
The first offence took place in 1955 and the last in 2009.
73% of victims were under the age of 18, with 82% of victims being female.
Savile's youngest victim was aged eight, and oldest aged 47.
A total of 450 people have come forward alleging sexual abuse against Savile since October, and within the recorded crimes, there are 34 rapes and 126 indecent acts, the police and NSPCC report said.
Of his victims, 73% were children, with the total victim age range between eight and 47 years old at the time of the offences.
Mr Spindler said so far 617 people had made contact with officers investigating claims against Savile and other figures in the entertainment industry, with 450 directly relating to Savile.
The police report found that the earliest reported offence committed by Savile was in Manchester in 1955, and the final reported allegation was in 2009.
The offences cover the period when Savile worked at the BBC between 1965 and 2006 and include allegations linked to the final recording of Top of the Pops.
They also involve the period when he worked at Leeds General Infirmary between 1965 and 1995.
Abuse at Stoke Mandeville Hospital took place between 1965 and 1988, while at Duncroft School, a children's home, the allegations cover a period between 1970 and 1978.
The peak was between 1966 and 1976, when he was aged between 40 and 50.
The police and NSPCC report said Savile's offending presents "a potential watershed".
It concluded that Savile was an "opportunistic individual who used his celebrity status as a powerful tool to coerce and control" his victims.
The report said it would be "naive" to view the case as the isolated behaviour of a "rogue celebrity" - but the "context of the 1960s and 1970s" need to be recognised.
"It was an age of different social attitudes and the workings of the criminal justice system at the time would have reflected this," it said.
But the report stopped short of apportioning blame to other institutions and agencies that may have "missed past opportunities" to stop Savile.
It said these institutions must do "all they can to make their procedures for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults as robust and rigorous as possible".
Peter Watt, director of child protection advice and awareness at NSPCC, said Savile was one of the most prolific sex offenders the NSPCC has dealt with in its 129-year history.
"It's clear Savile cunningly built his entire life into gaining access to vulnerable children."
Mr Watt said the publicity surrounding the Savile inquiry had triggered a surge in abuse victims of offenders other than Savile to come forward - with 5,000 calls taken by its hotline in October alone.
Leeds Teaching Hospitals said it would look into any complaints made to police about incidents at Leeds General Infirmary and St James's University Hospital, where Savile worked as a volunteer and fundraiser.
It said it would also investigate information given directly to the Trust about this "extremely distressing subject".
Here is a list of the hospitals where Savile offended, including the number of offences and when they occurred.
Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) - 16 offences between 1965 and 1995.
Stoke Mandeville Hospital - 22 offences between 1965 and 1988.
Broadmoor Hospital - one offence in 1991.
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust: St James University Hospital - one offence in 1962.
High Royds Hospital - one offence in 1989.
Dewsbury and District Hospital - one offence in 1969.
Wycombe General Hospital - one offence.
Great Ormond Street Hospital - one offence in 1971.
Ashworth Hospital- one offence in 1971.
Exeter Hospital - one offence in 1970.
Portsmouth Royal Hospital - one offence in 1964
St. Catherine's Hospital - one offence in 1964.
Saxondale Hospital - one offence in 1971.
Wheatfields Hospice - one offence in 1971.