Savile abused at least 22 pupils at Surrey school, says police report
JIMMY SAVILE abused at least 22 pupils and one visitor at a school for emotionally disturbed teenage girls where he was allowed to stay overnight and even molested his victims in the principal’s office, according to a police report.
Surrey Police has concluded its investigations into the TV presenter, who was given “unrestricted and largely unsupervised” access to Duncroft School in Staines, Surrey, which he visited at least 16 times between 1974 and 1979 and stayed overnight on at lea s t t wo occasions.
Surrey Police launched Operation Outreach after receiving reports of sexual abuse committed by Savile at Duncroft following the ITV Exposure programme.
The aim of the probe was to determine the extent of his activities and to see if he was aided by anyone at the school.
The report says Savile first visited Duncroft on January 21, 1974 and stopped when it temporarily closed in 1979.
The report says: “Jimmy Savile is recorded in log books to have taken pupils out, with a strong indication that they were unaccompanied by st aff, on three occasions.
“It is evident that Jimmy Savile was given significant access to the grounds and buildings, and it appears that this access was unrestricted and largely unsupervised.”
Duncroft was originally run by the National Association for Mental Health, later called MIND, before its management was transferred to Barnardo’s in 1975. A total of 166 pupils were identified as having attended the school between 1974 and 1979, of whom 54 have had contact with Surrey Police as part of the investigation.
Of the 23 victims, 10 were abused on a single occasion by Savile and 13 were abused at least twice. Five victims were abused seven times and one was abused three times.
Were he still alive to be charged, Savile would have faced an allegation of rape, five of assault by penetration, two of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent and 38 offences of sexual assault.
The report says Surrey Police submitted a file to the CPS in relation to two members of staff at Duncroft during the relevant time period with the remaining staff members not considered as suspects. However, the CPS decided there was not a realistic prospect of conviction by a jury.
Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Cundy said Surrey Police had published its Operation Outreach report to be “open and clear” on its inquiries and actions.