'No Evidence' BBC Bosses Aware Of Savile Abuse
Savile abused 72 people connected with his BBC work, including eight rapes, one on a victim aged just 10 years old.
Thursday 25 February 2016 10:00, UK
The report into sexual abuse by Jimmy Savile says there is "no evidence" any senior member of the BBC was aware of his behaviour.
But Dame Janet Smith said her still made for "sorry reading" as she criticised a culture of "virtually untouchable" celebrities, and staff fearful of speaking out.
A lawyer for 168 of Savile's victims said it was "implausible" that senior management were in the dark and dismissed the report as an "expensive whitewash".
Dame Janet said some junior and middle-ranking staff had been aware of Savile's "inappropriate sexual behaviour" on programmes such as Top Of The Pops and Jim'll Fix It.
However, the culture of the BBC in Savile's heyday made them scared of speaking out and telling their superiors.
BBC director-general Lord Hall, speaking at a news conference, looked into the camera and told victims he was "deeply sorry" for failing them and for聽Savile's "grotesque" abuse of power.
"A serial rapist and a predatory sexual abuser both hid in plain sight at the BBC for decades," said Lord Hall.
"It was a dark chapter in the history of the organisation, but a much darker one for all of you."
The report also found:
:: 72 victims connected with聽Savile's BBC work
:: 57 female and 15 male
:: 8 people were raped (6 female and 2 male), including one victim aged 10
:: 47 victims were indecently or sexually assaulted
:: 19 victims in relation to Top Of The Pops and 17 for Jim'll Fix It
:: 34 victims were under 16聽
:: Youngest victim was 8 years old
The report also did not rule out the possibility that "a predatory child abuser could be lurking in the BBC even today".
"The power of celebrity and the trust we accord it, which show no real sign of diminishing in our society, make detection of a celebrity abuser even more difficult," said Dame Janet.
The report looked into the culture and practices of the BBC during the time Savile and fellow BBC presenter Stuart Hall, released from jail in December, carried out their abuse.
Costing 拢6.5m, it interviewed 375 witnesses about Savile and 100 about Stuart Hall.
It said Savile - who died in October 2011 - "would gratify himself sexually on BBC premises whenever the opportunity arose".
It found he had raped eight people - six female and two male - and that 47 more were subjected to indecent or sexual assault.
One junior employee said she was told "keep your mouth shut, he is a VIP" after complaining Savile聽had put his hand up her skirt.
Eight complaints to BBC staff in the late 1960s were also brushed off or not escalated.
Liz Dux, lawyer for many of the victims, attacked the report's findings.
She said: "Despite millions having been spent on the Inquiry, my clients will feel let down that the truth has still not been unearthed and many will feel it is nothing more than an expensive whitewash ...
"With 117 witnesses giving evidence of concerns and rumours, it's implausible to suggest that this did not reach the upper echelons of the BBC.
"What's apparent is that the senior managers only had to scratch at the very surface and a lot of Savile's offending would have been revealed."
Veteran DJ Tony Blackburn聽claims the corporation has sacked him because his evidence to the inquiry contradicts the BBC's version of events.
Blackburn, 73, said the corporation had "hung me out to dry" and that his experience was "in keeping with the past BBC culture of whitewash and cover-up".
He added: "They have taken away a career I love and I will not allow them to destroy my reputation."
Lord Hall told reporters that Mr Blackburn聽had been sacked after he 聽and that Dame Janet had "rejected" his testimony.