Report: Some Jimmy Savile victims were 'as young as two'

Jimmy Savile was not "just a phenomenon of the 60s and 70s" and echoes of his abuse can be heard today, according to the lawyer for 170 of the TV presenter's victims.

Liz Dux from lawyers Slater and Gordon told Good Morning Britain she still encounters adults who cover up child abuse to protect their employers' reputation.

More: Publication of BBC report into Savile abuse delayed

The late TV presenter Jimmy Savile was a "horrific, prolific sex offender" who abused his fame and power to get away with his crimes "for so long", the NSPCC has said.

The NSPCC's Director of Child Protection Advice and Support, Peter Watt, spoke to Good Morning Britain after the children's charity released figures showing Savile had abused children "as young as two", with at least 500 of his victims coming forward.

More: Savile abused 'children as young as two'

The publication of the BBC's review into how Savile carried out a campaign of abuse over decades has been delayed until later in the year.

It has been reported that the Dame Janet Smith review is expected to uncover hundreds of victims and reveal a culture of ignorance which ''protected'' Savile.

A BBC spokesman said: "The BBC has said it is appalled at Jimmy Saville's crimes.

"We're unable to give a commentary on statements in these specific documents as they are over 40 years old, but the Dame Janet Smith review is considering the culture and practices of the BBC during this period and has had our full cooperation

We will await their full report."

Report: Jimmy Savile victims some 'as young as two'

The figures in the NSPCC report for Panorama show that the most common age group for Savile's victims was 13 to 15 - and the youngest alleged victim was just two years old.

Savile visited frequently as part of his charity work and was given his own set of keys to Broadmoor hospital. In 1988, he was hired as an adviser to help resolve staff-management tensions at Broadmoor.

A confidential Department of Health memo obtained by Panorama suggests that his appointment was being pushed by a senior civil servant.

More: Savile abused children 'as young as two'

The NSPCC believe that Jimmy Savile could be the most prolific child abuser that they have ever discovered in the United Kingdom.

Peter Watt, the NSPCC's director of child protection, said: "There's no doubt that Savile is one of the most, if not the most, prolific sex offender that we at the NSPCC have ever come across.

What you have is somebody who at his most prolific lost no opportunity to identify vulnerable victims and abuse them."

The joint BBC investigation between Panorama and The World At One, which airs today on BBC One and BBC Radio 4, asks how the DJ got so close to the heart of Britain's establishment and why in 1972 the BBC failed to take effective action that might have saved young people from abuse.

The NSPCC report also claims that Saville's offending in Broadmoor Hospital is higher than previously thought, with Thames Valley Police having received at least 16 reports of abuse by him inside the secure hospital.

The report also claims that senior civil servants wrongly referred to the Top Of The Pops presenter as "doctor" - completely unaware of the trauma he was inflicting on some children behind closed hospital doors.

At least 500 children, some as young as two years old, were abused by disgraced television personality Jimmy Saville during his vile reign as one of the UK's most prolific sex offenders, new research shows.

A study carried out by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, commissioned for the BBC's Panorama programme, reveals secret confidential documents examining the scope of Savile's offending and his unprecedented access to Broadmoor hospital, where some of the abuse happened.