Conspiracy of silence
FOR decades the grotesque sexual predator Jimmy Savile used BBC premises around the country as his hunting ground.
In studios, dressing rooms, canteens, staircases and even corridors, the vile DJ raped and assaulted dozens of girls and boys – some as young as nine – with complete impunity. So why wasn’t he stopped sooner? There’s no doubt that rumours of his proclivities had been rife for years within the Corporation.
We report today that 107 witnesses told the ongoing official inquiry – headed by former Appeal Court judge Dame Janet Smith – that they had long suspected Savile of being an abuser and some reported their suspicions.
Indeed there was even a crude joke doing the rounds in the 1980s identifying him as a paedophile.
Yet every senior manager of the time claims to have known nothing. And perhaps even more astonishingly, Dame Janet appears to believe them.
In a leaked draft of her report she says: ‘I do not think the BBC can be criticised for its failure to uncover Savile’s sexual deviancy.’
Really? What an insult to all those innocent young victims to whom the Corporation owed a clear duty of care.
Is it plausible that no one in authority had any idea what was happening – or were they so concerned with the Corporation’s reputation that they turned a blind eye to avoid a scandal?
Is it any wonder that the victims’ lawyer now brands the inquiry a whitewash?
What is blindingly obvious is that Savile had ‘untouchable’ status at the BBC. His crimes were swept under the carpet and potential whistleblowers cowed into silence. When one victim complained, she was thrown out of the building.
True, we have seen only a draft and the final report may lay blame where it truly belongs – at the top. But unless those who allowed this grotesque monster to prowl the BBC unimpeded for so long are held to account, what’s to stop it happening again? Dame Janet says there remains a culture of secrecy and intimidation of whistleblowers and, chillingly, that the national broadcaster could still harbour a child abuser.
She has a unique opportunity – and an awesome responsibility – to help ensure that history doesn’t repeat itself.