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Fearing Legal Claims, Bank Freezes Savile Estate Fearing Legal Claims, Bank Freezes Savile Estate
(about 7 hours later)
A British bank says it has frozen the estate of the disgraced television host Jimmy Savile because of possible claims for damages arising from accusations of sexual abuse that include misconduct on the premises of the British Broadcasting Corporation and at hospitals where Mr. Savile pursued charitable projects.A British bank says it has frozen the estate of the disgraced television host Jimmy Savile because of possible claims for damages arising from accusations of sexual abuse that include misconduct on the premises of the British Broadcasting Corporation and at hospitals where Mr. Savile pursued charitable projects.
The bank, NatWest, which is the executor and trustee of Mr. Savile’s estate following his death at age 84 last year, said in a statement on Wednesday that “given the claims raised, distribution of the estate has been put on hold.”The bank, NatWest, which is the executor and trustee of Mr. Savile’s estate following his death at age 84 last year, said in a statement on Wednesday that “given the claims raised, distribution of the estate has been put on hold.”
Details of Mr. Savile’s will were published by The Financial Times which said it had obtained a copy of the document written in 2006 bequeathing his wealth to 26 beneficiaries, most of it — 3.7 million pounds, or $5.9 million, to be held in a charitable trust established in his name. The overall value of the estate was estimated at 4.3 million pounds, or $6.98 million. Details of Mr. Savile’s will were published by The Financial Times, which said it had obtained a copy of the document written in 2006 bequeathing his wealth to 26 beneficiaries, most of it — £3.7 million, or $5.9 million, to be held in a charitable trust established in his name. The overall value of the estate was estimated at £4.3 million, or $6.98 million.
As the abuse scandal has unfolded, the administrators of Mr. Savile’s main charitable organizations have already announced that they plan to close the trusts and distribute their holdings to other philanthropic institutions.As the abuse scandal has unfolded, the administrators of Mr. Savile’s main charitable organizations have already announced that they plan to close the trusts and distribute their holdings to other philanthropic institutions.
British police officials say around 300 people — mainly women — have told officers investigating decades of abuse that they were abused as underage girls by Mr. Savile, whose television shows brought him into regular contact with young people. He also conducted charitable work at three hospitals in the northern city of Leeds and at Stoke Mandeville and Broadmoor — a high security psychiatric hospital — in the south. British police officials say around 300 people, mainly women, have told officers investigating decades of abuse that they were abused as under-age girls by Mr. Savile, whose television shows brought him into regular contact with young people. He also conducted charitable work at three hospitals in the northern city of Leeds and at Stoke Mandeville and Broadmoor, a high security psychiatric hospital, in the south.
A former porter at the Leeds General Infirmary told the BBC this week that he became suspicious of Mr. Savile when he arrived at the hospital in the early hours accompanied by teenage girls and was handed the keys to a building used for nurses’ accommodations.A former porter at the Leeds General Infirmary told the BBC this week that he became suspicious of Mr. Savile when he arrived at the hospital in the early hours accompanied by teenage girls and was handed the keys to a building used for nurses’ accommodations.
The girls seemed “star-struck” and “not streetwise,” the former porter, Terry Pratt, said. The hospital has called Mr. Pratt’ claims “mistaken,” saying in a statement that he “appears to have been talking about a period in the 1980s before he started work at the hospital in 1990 and not from firsthand knowledge.” The girls seemed “star struck” and not “streetwise,” said the former porter, Terry Pratt. The hospital has called Mr. Pratt’s claims “mistaken,” saying in a statement that he “appears to have been talking about a period in the 1980s before he started work at the hospital in 1990 and not from firsthand knowledge.”
The Financial Times said the beneficiaries of Mr. Savile’s will included trustees of his charities and former employees of Leeds General Infirmary and Broadmoor hospital. The newspaper also reported that the estate had been frozen earlier over claims by a woman who said she was Mr. Savile’s daughter.The Financial Times said the beneficiaries of Mr. Savile’s will included trustees of his charities and former employees of Leeds General Infirmary and Broadmoor hospital. The newspaper also reported that the estate had been frozen earlier over claims by a woman who said she was Mr. Savile’s daughter.
In a telephone interview, Alan Collins, a lawyer specializing in child abuse cases, said around 20 people claiming to have been abused by Mr. Savile — with equal numbers of men and women — had contacted his firm, Pannone.
It was not immediately clear whether legal action would be brought against the BBC and the state-run National Health Service, on whose premises some of the abuse is said to have taken place. “The primary case is against the estate” of Mr. Savile, Mr. Collins said, but institutions could be added to lawsuits later.
The Pannone law firm has appealed for witnesses to an event in the early 1970s on the south coast of England, publishing a photograph of a boy standing next to one of a series of Rolls-Royce automobiles owned by Mr. Savile. The boy’s face has been disguised in the photograph. Mr. Collins said many people had responded to the appeal. “It’s a growing phenomenon,” he said.
In a separate statement, Mr. Collins said the decision by NatWest to freeze Mr. Savile’s estate was likely to facilitate legal claims by his accusers that could now be made without preliminary action to prevent the distribution of bequests under the terms of the will. He added that his firm was “also actively pursuing inquiries into Savile’s overseas assets, which we believe are being administered in Guernsey,” a tax haven in the British Isles.
The scandal is not solely about the accusations of abuse. Late last year, the editor of a BBC current affairs program, “Newsnight,” canceled an investigation of Mr. Savile, saying he was acting for journalistic reasons. The cancellation has raised questions — now under investigation by the BBC — about the role, if any, of senior executives in the cancellation.
One of them, Mark Thompson, who was the BBC’s director general at the time, is the incoming president and chief executive of The New York Times Company. He has repeatedly denied involvement in the decision to halt the “Newsnight” inquiry.