Jimmy Savile case may lead to inquiry against seven forces

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/nov/03/jimmy-savile-case-inquiry

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Several police forces could be investigated over their handling of sexual abuse allegations against Jimmy Savile after the police watchdog confirmed that an inquiry was a possibility and a lawyer representing alleged victims said there were urgent questions to be answered.

Alan Collins, a solicitor at the law firm Pannone, who is representing five of Savile's alleged victims and has been approached by at least 20 others, said the case for the police to be investigated had become paramount. Collins said it should be the job of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), the independent body set up to assess police forces, to investigate how and when officers had investigated Savile.

"There should be an independent investigation into the decisions that were made," Collins said. "There are key questions about what happened to several claims made against Savile and who decided how they should be followed up. There are police forces who had complaints on their books and chose not, for whatever reason, to pursue matters. That is a serious concern."

At least three forces – Surrey, Sussex and Jersey – are known to have been aware of allegations against Savile, but the true number is believed to be as high as seven. "We need to know: did they look at their databases? Did they talk to each other?" Collins asked. HMIC confirmed that an inquiry could be launched. "Although we are not currently inspecting the issues around this case, we are monitoring the developments," an HMIC spokesman said. "HMIC have a programme of inspection work around child protection which is under way."

Another option would be for the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which examines how complaints against the police have been handled, to launch an inquiry. But this would only go ahead if a complaint had been made directly to the IPCC or there had been a referral from a force. The IPCC said neither had happened.

A focus on the police would take some of the pressure off the BBC, which has been the victim of a "witch-hunt", according to veteran presenter Jonathan Dimbleby, who has attacked the "disturbing relish" with which critics have laid into the corporation.

"Paedophilia is a huge national problem that no one thought about 50 years ago and is now something that concerns everyone, but this has become a witchhunt against the BBC," Dimbleby told a national newspaper.

He added: "Organisations that have come under flak recently, such as newspapers and MPs, want to get their revenge. They think the BBC is too smug and holier than thou."

Collins said a picture was emerging of Savile as a risk-taker and an opportunist who surrounded himself with dubious characters. One line of inquiry is following Savile's links to the criminal underworld in Manchester, including the notorious Quality Street gang, who supposedly dominated the city in the 1960s.

Collins said it was conceivable that lawyers acting for alleged victims would take legal action to compel police forces to hand over their files on Savile. He said such action would be taken if organisations like the BBC or the Savile estate denied liability, prompting lawyers to seek disclosure from the police.

Last week Savile's estate, which is reportedly worth £4.3m, was frozen in response to the mounting allegations. NatWest Bank, which is acting as the <em>Jim'll Fix It</em> presenter's executor and trustee, said the distribution of his assets had been put on hold in anticipation of legal action from his alleged victims.

Savile, who died last year at the age of 84, is believed to have been one of the UK's most prolific sex offenders, with about 300 possible victims.

The Metropolitan police force has signalled that it is prepared to send officers abroad if necessary to investigate the abuse allegations. Victims of alleged attacks relating to the Savile inquiry have so far come forward from France, Austria, Switzerland, South Africa and Australia.

The alleged victims are understood to be Britons who subsequently moved abroad after being abused in Britain, as opposed to foreign nationals who were attacked during trips to the UK.

Detectives are presently following 400 lines of inquiry, while the BBC has launched an inquiry into the culture and practices at the corporation in the era of Savile's alleged sexual abuse. It has also set up an investigation of the handling of a <em>Newsnight</em> report about Savile, which is being led by the former head of Sky News, Nick Pollard.