Wycombe Hospital named as location of Jimmy Savile abuse (From Bucks Free Press)

Wycombe Hospital named as location of Jimmy Savile abuse

11:43am Friday 11th January 2013 in News By Simon Farr

Wycombe Hospital named as location of Jimmy Savile abuse

WYCOMBE Hospital has been named as one of the locations Jimmy Savile carried out abuse, a report detailing the allegations has revealed.

The Metropolitan Police and NSPCC today unveiled its joint report detailing 50 years of sexual abuse by the former television presenter.

214 crimes were reported to 28 different police forces - including 34 rape or penetration offences - with Savile’s victims ranging from as young as eight to 47 years old.

But that number could rise to more than 450 cases, the report states, as 600 people have come forward in total.

Police said the complaints painted a “compelling picture of widespread sexual abuse by a predatory sex offender.”

The report reveals 22 offences were committed at Stoke Mandeville Hospital between 1965 and 1998, where Savile was a porter and a keen fundraiser with access to his own office and flat.

A further offence was reported at Wycombe General Hospital. In total, Thames Valley Police recorded 30 crimes in relation to Savile.

Buckinghamshire NHS Hospitals Trust launched its own independent probe into the abuse claims, which will be released at the end of this year.

Saville offended at 13 hospitals - including Great Ormond Street - BBC premises, including the final recording of Top of the Pops in 2006, and at 14 schools in which he had been invited to by schoolchildren.

Specific details of these crimes have not been revealed in the report, entitled Giving a Voice to Victims.

The peak of his reported offending took place between 1966 and 1976, when Savile was aged between 40 and 50 years old.

The report states 73 percent of Savile’s offending was against people aged under 18, of which 82 percent was female and most were in the 13 to 16-year-old age bracket.

There was “no clear evidence” to suggest the Jim’ll Fix It host was part of a paedophile ring, but police are still investigating "whether he was part of an informal network".

Commander Peter Spindler, head of Scotland Yard’s Specialist Crime Investigations, said: “It paints a stark picture emphasising the tragic consequences of when vulnerability and power collide.

"Savile's offending footprint was vast, predatory and opportunistic. He cannot face justice today but we hope this report gives some comfort to his hundreds of victims, they have been listened to and taken seriously.

“We must use the learning from these shocking events to prevent other children and vulnerable adults being abused in the future. They will get a voice."

The Crown Prosecution Service has apologised for its “shortcomings” in the case and published its own reported explaining why it did not charge Savile in connection to four complaints made to police in 2009.

The ex-Radio 1 DJ died in October 2011, aged 84 – a year before allegations emerged in ITV’s Exposure documentary.

Operation Yewtree - which is split into three strands, Savile, Savile plus others and others - was launched by police in response to the programme.

Peter Watt, NSPCC Director of Child Protection Advice and Awareness, said that the scale of Savile's abuse "simply beggared belief.”

He added: “We know from the huge increase in calls to the NSPCC helpline about sexual abuse that the problem did not die with Savile.

“Since the Savile scandal brokewe have seen a surge in contacts about child abuse, both past and present, with many victims speaking out for the first time.

"Almost 800 additional children have been protected from abuse because of the publicity around this case prompted people to contact our helpline.

“We are optimistic that this signals a watershed moment for child protection in this country. We must seize the opportunity if we are to make a lasting change."

The charity is urging any victims of abuse who have yet to come forward, either in the Savile case or any other, to contact them via its 0800 1111 or 0808 800 5000 helplines.

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