The BBC has been accused of a whitewash after a £6.5 million inquiry into the Jimmy Savile scandal cleared senior managers of any blame.
The report, conducted by Dame Janet Smith, revealed that although she had spoken to 117 individuals at the corporation who had heard rumours of Savile’s paedophile behaviour, this did not necessarily mean that senior managers were aware of it.
Liz Dux, a lawyer for some of the victims, condemned the inquiry as an expensive cover-up.
The BBC was forced to admit that its culture had masked a “monstrous” campaign of abuse by both Savile and presenter Stuart Hall.
The director general of the BBC, Tony Hall, told victims: “A serial rapist and a predatory s**ual abuser both hid in plain sight at the BBC for decades.
The BBC failed you when it should have protected you.” Dame Janet’s report provoked controversy by insisting that there was no evidence to suggest that the BBC bosses knew about Savile’s “grotesque” activities.
In a leaked draft of her report published last month, she had warned that another “predatory child abuser could be lurking undiscovered in the BBC even today.” However, in the final version, she concluded more vaguely that no organisation could be entirely confident that it did not harbour a child abuser.
The report found that Savile had abused at least 72 victims at the BBC, with incidents reported in every BBC building.
The review also revealed that the BBC missed multiple opportunities to uncover his misconduct, showing more concern for its own reputation than for the victims.
Staff members who reported the abuse were dismissed and victims were often told not to make a fuss.
The report also suggested that staff may have helped to “procure” women for Savile’s abuse.
It described a culture of “bullying” at the BBC, where presenters were treated with “kid gloves” and staff were afraid to speak out for fear of losing their jobs.
Dame Janet’s report stated that the BBC had failed the victims of Savile and Hall by turning a blind eye to the abuse they suffered.
She also acknowledged that the “atmosphere of fear” that allowed Savile to abuse his victims still exists at the corporation.
Lord Hall, director general of the BBC, vowed to crack down on the culture of deference at the organisation and to do more to ensure that staff feel comfortable raising concerns without facing negative consequences.
The report comes more than three years after the Savile scandal first emerged and caused a crisis at the BBC.
