Timeline of Jimmy Savile’s Shocking Crimes and How He Was Finally Exposed
The Reckoning: A Documentary Revealing Jimmy Savile’s Horrific Crimes to Be Released
A new documentary titled The Reckoning is set to be released on October 9, shedding light on the horrifying s** crimes committed by former BBC DJ Jimmy Savile.
The film aims to explore how Savile managed to escape punishment for his crimes over such a long period of time.
But how exactly did he get found out?
When was he officially charged for committing s** offences?
To answer these questions, let’s take a look at the timeline of events leading up to the exposure of Savile’s acts.
In October 2011, Jimmy Savile passed away at the age of 84.
Following his death, BBC Newsnight launched an investigation into historic allegations against Savile.
It was revealed that the Surrey case, where Savile was interviewed under caution for alleged indecent assault at Duncroft School in 2009, had been dropped due to his age.
In November of the same year, the BBC aired a show paying tribute to Savile.
However, it was later discovered that the Newsnight investigation was halted because it lacked strong evidence, and there was no confirmation that the case was dropped due to Savile’s age.
In December, the Crown Prosecution Service informed the BBC that they did not pursue the Surrey case due to a lack of evidence, denying that Savile’s age played a role in their decision.
As a result, the BBC decided to pull the story.
In 2012, a criminal investigation called Operation Yewtree was launched after numerous complaints were received.
This investigation focused on s**ual abuse allegations, particularly those involving the abuse of children, by Savile and other prominent figures.
In October of that year, ITV aired Exposure: The Other Side of Jimmy Savile, a program that delved into Savile’s crimes.
This was followed by BBC’s director-general George Entwistle appearing on the Today program, during which Newsnight reporter Liz Mackean expressed her dissatisfaction with the handling of the Savile story.
As a response, Entwistle asked Ken MacQuarrie, director of BBC Scotland, to investigate why the show was axed.
Subsequently, Dame Janet Smith was appointed by the BBC to investigate the culture at the broadcaster during the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, when Savile worked there.
In June 2013, a report from Scotland Yard collaborated with the NSPCC to reveal that Savile was a “prolific predatory” s** offender.
The report documented 214 criminal offenses committed by Savile across 28 police forces between 1955 and 2009.
It also highlighted that 73% of his victims were children, emphasizing how Savile was able to hide in plain sight due to his fame.
The revelations led to Operation Yewtree investigating other TV personalities who were contemporaries of Savile.
Peter Watt of the NSPCC described Savile as one of the most prolific s** offenders they had ever encountered.
In 2014, a report on Savile’s actions at NHS hospitals across the UK was presented to Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary at the time.
The report uncovered shocking revelations about Savile’s abuse, including assaults on staff and patients at Leeds General Infirmary.
Savile even boasted to NHS staff about performing s** acts on the bodies of recently deceased persons.
A separate report in 2015 focused on Savile’s activities at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Buckinghamshire.
It revealed that he had s**ually abused over 50 people there, including staff, patients, and visitors.
It was widely known at the hospital that Savile was a “s** pest,” yet no action was taken to report him at the time.
In 2016, Dame Janet Smith’s report on the BBC’s handling of Savile’s crimes revealed that BBC staff missed multiple opportunities to stop him.
The review identified 72 victims of s**ual crimes committed by Savile while he worked at the BBC.
The youngest victim was only 10 years old, and the offenses continued until as late as 2006.
The report concluded that misconduct had occurred at almost every BBC premises where Savile worked.
It was also discovered that some BBC staff were aware of complaints but failed to pass on the information to senior management due to a culture of not complaining within the corporation.
The release of The Reckoning documentary aims to shed further light on these shocking events and the systemic failures that allowed Savile to evade justice for so long.
It serves as a chilling reminder of the importance of exposing and holding accountable those who commit such heinous crimes.
