The mighty media have spoken, Savile, the country’s favourite cartoon predatory paedophile is in the dock once more. The Daily Mirror reporting:

Operation Yewtree reported that Jimmy Savile had committed a sexual offence against an in-patient at the hospital.

The investigation has been greatly hampered by the 42 years that have passed between the alleged incident and the investigation starting, and by the fact that the alleged perpetrator and alleged Victim are both deceased. There is no evidence to suggest that Jimmy Savile was at the Trust in the 1970’s (when the alleged incident was said to have taken place).

Informant reported that Jimmy Savile lifted the bed sheet of the Informant and looked at the scar which was from their navel to their private parts. Informant stated that Jimmy Savile did the same to the patient opposite them (the alleged Victim) and that the Informant witnessed Jimmy Savile masturbating the alleged Victim.

On investigation, it was discovered the Savile’s first visit to the hospital was some 15 years after this incident is alleged to have taken place, informant was in a totally different ward to the alleged victim, not even on the same floor, the alleged victim could not corroborate, on account of having died 4 weeks after the alleged incident, 42 years ago, and the Trust concludes:

The Investigating Team have concluded that due to the lack of confidence that the alleged Victim has been correctly identified, the difference between the dates of the documented visit to the Trust by Jimmy Savile, and the dates of admission and discharge for both the Informant and the alleged victim, it is not possible to say for certain if the alleged incident on the premises of Great Ormond Street Hospital took place….

Wheatfields Hospice, Leeds. 15 pages by the Head of Quality and the Regional Manager. 6 months work.

Operation Yewtree reported an incident involved a young woman under the age of 16 who was attending the opening event of this Hospice. The incident included inappropriate touching of her leg and inappropriate comments – all of which occurred in a public place.

Savile approached her directly, asking her age and what she was doing there, and saying ‘squeeze up’ as he wanted to sit right next to her. As he sat down, he stroked her leg and on feeling the suspender belt under her skirt, stared at her before announcing ‘grownup, wearing stockings, goodness gracious me’ to the room full of people.

This ‘victim’ is included within the Leeds report, as N27 – to avoid her having to repeat a distressing account more times than was necessary…

The incident was not reported at the time by the victim, her family or anyone attending the event. On balance the victim’s statement is consistent with the written accounts of the opening ceremony at Wheatfields Hospice and JS’s attendance at this event. The Lead Nurse found the victim to be a credible witness, however due to the length of time between the incident and it coming to light there are no further witnesses to confirm this.

In the author’s opinion, this confirms Operation Yewtree’s announcement that ‘He groomed a nation’. (????)

High Royds Hospital, Leeds. 16 pages by the Lead Clinician for Safeguarding Adults.

Operation Yewtree reported two victims who came forward and disclosed that Savile had abused them twenty-five years ago – they were were ‘understandably uncertain of the precise date and nature of the event where the incidents took place’.

There is extremely limited scope to investigate the actual allegations effectively as neither alleged victim is able to remember the names of witnesses and both parties stated that they did not report the incident formally at the time.

In her statement X (the service user aged 44 at the time) described how, during a fancy dress fun run Savile put his hand up her skirt and rubbed her bottom, she also observed him doing the same to a nurse ‘L’.

Witness ‘Y’, who was a member of staff, said: He came round and introduced himself to the team, and he was just very free with his hands, so hands going round people, round their waist but then upwards, cupping under breasts, hands up the skirt.

Two of the staff recall a service user (LL) who was at High Royds Hospital at the time who had a fixed belief that he actually was Jimmy Savile and that concern had been raised as to what effect meeting the real Jimmy Savile would have on him. He was detained on the ward for the day as a risk management measure. Generally though Savile’s presence was welcomed and regarded as a positive boost for the hospital and its service users.

It is difficult to draw conclusions on these two allegations without being influenced by the weight of public opinion surrounding Savile and the emerging evidence now in the public domain, but X and Y’s claims are modest, plausible and difficult to refute.

Dewsbury and District Hospital. 25 pages by Head of Safeguarding that took a mere 9 months to compile.

Operation Yewtree reported a disclosure by Ms X that whilst she was an inpatient on a ward in Dewsbury hospital, Savile sexually assaulted her by attempting to lay on top of her and “French kissing” her. Ms X was 15 years old at the time. In a second separate incident a member of staff overheard Savile make a lewd comment about a young woman who was an inpatient.

Due to the historic nature of the incident and the lack of documentary evidence the investigation team were unable to find any evidence to corroborate Ms X’s account of the alleged incident. However Ms X’s GP records showed she was an inpatient at the time that the alleged incident took place and therefore the investigators conclude that the alleged incident took place.

The investigation into the second incident concluded that the Ward Sister should have reported this incident at the time.

The Royal Hospital, Portsmouth A commendable 6 page report by the Director of Corporate Affairs. All by himself.

An alleged sexual abuse reported to Operation Yewtree: committed by Jimmy Savile against a patient at the Royal Hospital in Portsmouth in 1968. This information is related to an allegation by an individual who said that he had been told that he had been abused by Jimmy Savile but that victim had no recollection of the incident. The victim did not know the name of the witness to the alleged abuse who told him that it had occurred.

No interviews of staff have been conducted, as the only staff member involved was the cleaner who had supposedly witnessed the alleged attack. It has not been possible to identify this witness as the complainant was unable to provide a name or description of her. No documentary evidence exists that confirms this or any other visit to the hospital by Jimmy Savile.

I have been provided with a summary of the interview, conducted by Gosport Police at the complainant’s local police station, which includes descriptions and assertions by the complainant that appears to be either fanciful or impossible. Gosport Police state in their summary that they do not consider him to be a credible witness. The complainant was asked, during his interview with the Police, why he had only now come forward with the allegation. He replied that ‘he might be believed as others had reported the same and that he wanted the BBC to be fined and held to account as they knew what was going on and chose not to investigate’.

Details provided to me during my interview with the complainant were broadly similar to those given to the Police, although there were some significant differences and 5 omissions. However, this is perhaps not necessarily surprising when considering the time that has elapsed since the alleged incident and that the complainant suffers from schizophrenia and memory loss.The complainant told me, when I asked why he had chosen to speak out about the incident after 46 years, that he wanted some compensation.

Saxondale Hospital, Nottinghamshire. 22 page report by Local Services Risk Manager and Company Secretary. Mills and Reeve Solicitors. Report took a year to be approved.

In summary, according to the 14 year old victim’s account, the incident took place when Jimmy Savile came to the ward on which she was a patient, accompanied by the hospital matron and some other people. He pulled back the covers of her bed, jumped into bed with her and touched both the top of her thigh and her bottom. He quickly got off the bed and moved on.
The incident caused amusement, according to the victim, among those present but no comment was made about it to her at the time or after. Operation Yewtree recorded this as “a crime of sexual touching”.

A detailed investigation of archive records was undertaken but identified no record of Jimmy Savile visiting the former St Catherine’s Hospital. The conclusion that he visited in 1964 is based on the evidence of the victim, supported by limited evidence from two former members of staff. Of those interviewed, two former staff members recalled Jimmy Savile visiting St Catherine’s Hospital in either 1964 or 1965 but neither were able to shed further light on the specific incident under investigation. Patient health records are not retained as far back as nearly 50 years. No other allegations have been made.

Leavesdon Hospital 47 page report by independent Management Consultant assisted by associate in Capsticks Solicitors. 3 months to produce report after board meetings with The Board of Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust.

This investigation was set up after an informant “telephoned Operation Yewtree to say that in the 1970’s she was a singer and dancer and attended charity functions with Jimmy Savile. She stated she also went to Top of The Pops and Jim’ll Fix It and that she wanted it known that at no point did JS touch her inappropriately and she never felt intimidated by him. She was part of a dancing troupe between the ages of five and fourteen and mentions having visited Leavesden Hospital as one of a number of locations visited.”

After three months, and interviewing 45 people who had some tangible connection to Leveson Hospital the report concluded that not only was this ‘Giving victims a voice’ claimant, not only not a victim, (as she said in the beginning) 10 credible witnesses identified as having worked at Leavesden Hospital in the 1970s gave corroborating evidence indicating that although the troupe had performed at the hospital – JS never visited Leavesden Hospital at any time during their employment at the hospital, including before and after the 1970s.

Maudsley Hospital 21 page report by Director of Quality Assurance assisted by Partner in legal firm Bevan Brittan. 4 months to produce after board meetings with the Trustees and Directors of Maudsley Hospital.

“This investigation was set up after information had come to light which alleged that Savile was seen on the Maudsley Hospital site in 1964 or 1965.”

Mr B. The informant stated that he had spotted Savile on two occasions crossing the Maudsley hospital site in 1964/65.

“There is no reason to doubt the credibility of Mr B’s account, but there was no evidence of allegations or information suggesting any wrongdoing by Savile on these occasions.”

“In 1980 Savile came to open a new unit on the Bethlem Royal Hospital site.”

Again no evidence of any allegation having been made or information suggesting any wrongdoing by Savile associated with this event.

“A possible connection to the Maudsley Hospital with Dr Anthony Clare who interviewed Savile for a BBC Radio 4 series ‘In the Psychiatrist’s Chair’ in 1991.”

Er. The interview was conducted eight years after Dr Anthony Clare had left the Maudsley, and there was no allegation or information suggesting any connection between Savile and the Maudsley Hospital.

Tagged as: Kate Lampard, Leeds NHS, Savile