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| Savile inquiry sparks widespread reassessment of abuse complaints | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Police may be forced to reinvestigate thousands of sexual abuse complaints where the victims felt their evidence was disbelieved, in what the director of public prosecutions has described as a watershed moment in how authorities deal with vulnerable assault victims. | |
| The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will set up panels across England and Wales to assess the complaints, and victims who feel police mishandled their complaints have been urged to come forward and have their cases re-investigated. | |
| Keir Starmer QC admitted that police and the CPS were likely to have mistakenly dropped many sexual assault complaints because the victims were treated with a "degree of caution which is not generally justified". The report also reveals that during a police interview in which he was under caution, Jimmy Savile made veiled threats against officers if sexual abuse allegations against him did not "disappear". | Keir Starmer QC admitted that police and the CPS were likely to have mistakenly dropped many sexual assault complaints because the victims were treated with a "degree of caution which is not generally justified". The report also reveals that during a police interview in which he was under caution, Jimmy Savile made veiled threats against officers if sexual abuse allegations against him did not "disappear". |
| The chief prosecutor announced the "profound" move as he published an internal CPS review into assault complaints made against Savile in 2007 and 2008. | |
| The review, by the CPS's principle legal adviser, Alison Levitt QC, found that Savile might have been prosecuted over three allegations of sexual abuse if police had dealt with the complainants differently. | The review, by the CPS's principle legal adviser, Alison Levitt QC, found that Savile might have been prosecuted over three allegations of sexual abuse if police had dealt with the complainants differently. |
| Starmer said: "I accept the conclusions reached by Ms Levitt QC and, in the interests of transparency and accountability I have decided to publish her report in full. In doing so, I would like to take the opportunity to apologise for the shortcomings in the part played by the CPS in these cases. | Starmer said: "I accept the conclusions reached by Ms Levitt QC and, in the interests of transparency and accountability I have decided to publish her report in full. In doing so, I would like to take the opportunity to apologise for the shortcomings in the part played by the CPS in these cases. |
| "But I also want to go further. If this report and my apology are to serve their full purpose, then this must be seen as a watershed moment. In my view, these cases do not simply reflect errors of judgment by individual officers or prosecutors on the facts before them. If that were the case, they would, in many respects, be easier to deal with. | "But I also want to go further. If this report and my apology are to serve their full purpose, then this must be seen as a watershed moment. In my view, these cases do not simply reflect errors of judgment by individual officers or prosecutors on the facts before them. If that were the case, they would, in many respects, be easier to deal with. |
| "These were errors of judgment by experienced and committed police officers and a prosecuting lawyer acting in good faith and attempting to apply the correct principles. That makes the findings of Ms Levitt's report more profound and calls for a more robust response." | "These were errors of judgment by experienced and committed police officers and a prosecuting lawyer acting in good faith and attempting to apply the correct principles. That makes the findings of Ms Levitt's report more profound and calls for a more robust response." |
| Starmer said there were clear links to be drawn between how police handled the Savile complainants and other cases involving vulnerable sexual abuse victims, including the Rochdale sex trafficking scandal. | Starmer said there were clear links to be drawn between how police handled the Savile complainants and other cases involving vulnerable sexual abuse victims, including the Rochdale sex trafficking scandal. |
| The CPS will issue fresh guidance on prosecuting child sexual exploitation cases across England and Wales. | The CPS will issue fresh guidance on prosecuting child sexual exploitation cases across England and Wales. |
| The review of the dropped Savile complaints found no evidence of "improper motive" on behalf of the police or prosecutors. | The review of the dropped Savile complaints found no evidence of "improper motive" on behalf of the police or prosecutors. |
| However, Levitt concluded that the complainants were treated with "a degree of caution which was neither justified nor required". | However, Levitt concluded that the complainants were treated with "a degree of caution which was neither justified nor required". |
| The two separate investigations, by Surrey police in 2007 and Sussex police in 2008, were into four allegations of sexual assault on women aged between 14 and their early 20s. The investigations were dropped in 2009 when a CPS lawyer advised that there was no realistic prosect of prosecution because the complainants were unwilling to give evidence against Savile at any possible criminal trial. | The two separate investigations, by Surrey police in 2007 and Sussex police in 2008, were into four allegations of sexual assault on women aged between 14 and their early 20s. The investigations were dropped in 2009 when a CPS lawyer advised that there was no realistic prosect of prosecution because the complainants were unwilling to give evidence against Savile at any possible criminal trial. |
| In her review published on Friday, Levitt said a prosecution may have been possible in three of the four cases if police had dealt with the victims differently. | |
| Most of the victims told Levitt's review that they would have agreed to support a prosecution if police had given them more information, in particular that other women had complained. | |
| The review found that Surrey police decided not to tell each victim that other complaints had been made about Savile. Sussex police told one woman, who said she had been sexually assaulted by Savile in the back of his caravan in 1970, that corroboration would be needed. The review found that the CPS lawyer did not investigate or seek to build a prosecution against Savile after being told by police that the complainants were unwilling to give evidence at a trial. | The review found that Surrey police decided not to tell each victim that other complaints had been made about Savile. Sussex police told one woman, who said she had been sexually assaulted by Savile in the back of his caravan in 1970, that corroboration would be needed. The review found that the CPS lawyer did not investigate or seek to build a prosecution against Savile after being told by police that the complainants were unwilling to give evidence at a trial. |
| The CPS review revealed how Savile had batted away the allegations made by four women in 2007-08 of past abuse. He told Surrey police in 2009 that the sexual assault complaints against him were "invented" and an "occupational hazard" for a famous entertainer. | The CPS review revealed how Savile had batted away the allegations made by four women in 2007-08 of past abuse. He told Surrey police in 2009 that the sexual assault complaints against him were "invented" and an "occupational hazard" for a famous entertainer. |
| Savile made the comments when he was interviewed under caution. He told police he had a "policy" for dealing with sexual assault complaints made against him and that he had sued five newspapers in the past. A police log of the interview records Savile as saying: "If this [the allegations] does not disappear then my policy will swing into action." | |
| One of Savile's victims, referred to as "Ms A", claims she was told by a Sussex police officer in 2008 that no one would believe her. | One of Savile's victims, referred to as "Ms A", claims she was told by a Sussex police officer in 2008 that no one would believe her. |
| Levitt wrote in her review: "Ms A told me that she felt that DC T believed her and had said to her that he would leave 'no stone unturned' if that was what she wanted. However, he had left her in no doubt as to how difficult it would be for a prosecution to take place because Jimmy Savile was a 'big celebrity'; she said to me that the police had told her that no one would believe her. She remembered DC T telling her that because he had plenty of money, Jimmy Savile would have the best lawyers, it would all take place in a 'big court in London' and his lawyers would make 'mincemeat' of her. | Levitt wrote in her review: "Ms A told me that she felt that DC T believed her and had said to her that he would leave 'no stone unturned' if that was what she wanted. However, he had left her in no doubt as to how difficult it would be for a prosecution to take place because Jimmy Savile was a 'big celebrity'; she said to me that the police had told her that no one would believe her. She remembered DC T telling her that because he had plenty of money, Jimmy Savile would have the best lawyers, it would all take place in a 'big court in London' and his lawyers would make 'mincemeat' of her. |
| "She also got the clear impression from the police that she would be publicly branded a liar and that her name would be all over the newspapers, particularly if she 'lost the case'." | |
| Levitt concluded that the officers had "dissuaded her from pursuing her allegation", even if unintentionally. |