Hardest job I have ever had.. but more is needed

IT was by far the most difficult investigation I have ever undertaken. At almost every stage I and my amazing producer, Lesley Gardener, navigated obstacles I had never experienced before.

As I reflect 10 years on, I realise it was a make-or-break decision to investigate Savile; get it right and it would bring justice for many, get it wrong, and I would have never worked in television again.

Some people have said to me Savile got away with his crimes, but justice comes in many forms.

Yes, he was never prosecuted, even though 10 allegations were made to the police against him between 1955 and 2009, because serious “Mistakes were Made”.

The appropriately named report by HM Inspector of Constabulary laid bare the failings.

Police forces failed to connect allegations. Even when a number of victims came forward to the same force, they were not advised of other victims’ complaints.

LANDSLIDE

I remember waking up on the morning after the broadcast of The Other Side of Jimmy Savile, and feeling achievement and relief.

And admiration for the brave women whose voices gave back strength to thousands of victims.

In the days after the broadcast the Metropolitan Police launched Operation Yewtree. I met with the head of Yewtree and he said they reckoned Savile had abused about 30 people. I said “more like 500”.

Fast-forward to the end of the police investigation and they had 450 specific allegations spread over a 54-year period.

The programme created a landslide effect; reports to police of sexual crimes increased by 100%, the NSPCC said that as a direct result of our programme over 1,000 children had contacted them about sexual crimes.

The whole Savile effect remained on the front of national newspapers for 41 days.

However, to date nobody has been held to account. There are people who knew Savile was a predator and who could have stopped him. There are serving and ex-police officers who failed to investigate allegations properly.

I have no doubt Savile avoided prosecution because of his celebrity status. It took him to die for the final truth to come out.