Police 'did not link' Savile claims
1:24pm Monday 29th October 2012 in National News © Press Association 2013
Jimmy Savile died a year ago at his home in Leeds
Abuse allegations made against Jimmy Savile while he was alive could have been linked to show "a pattern of behaviour", Scotland Yard's commissioner has said.
Bernard Hogan Howe said police and other organisations had not "put together" claims made against the disgraced television presenter. Members of the public may also have been discouraged from taking action because of Savile's reputation at the time, he said.
The commissioner told reporters: "You might have thought that people would at least have talked about it and intervened. It does look as if from time to time people have been concerned, they've made the start to intervene, but probably then they've relied a little bit too much on his reputation and his word that he did nothing.
"If you accept all the public accounts of the activity then it's possibly spanned 50 years which is a huge amount of time. First of all within an organisation that's got everybody's respect, but probably it appears that people haven't intervened when they've had suspicions.
"Then of course other organisations including the police have had individual allegations that have not been put together to actually show that this person may well have shown a pattern of behaviour that's been pretty awful."
Four police forces were contacted by seven potential victims while Savile was alive. Surrey, Sussex and Jersey all found that there was not enough evidence to proceed. Two potential victims came forward to Scotland Yard - one of whom claimed she had been abused in the 1970s but did not want to pursue a criminal investigation.
Officers are trying to find the original file relating to a second claim made by a woman who claimed she was assaulted in the 1980s, possibly in a caravan outside BBC premises in west London.
A team of 30 officers are currently investigating three categories of allegations: those involving Savile, those involving Savile and others, and those involving others. The commissioner said that most of the "others" are involved in the entertainment industry.
A probe has been launched into the BBC's "culture and practices" during Savile's career. Led by former Court of Appeal judge Dame Janet Smith, the probe will also determine whether the broadcaster's child protection and whistle-blowing policies are up to scratch.
The inquiry comes a year to the day since Savile died aged 84 at his home in Leeds and a day after former pop star Gary Glitter was arrested and bailed until mid-December by police investigating the Savile scandal.
