British government apologises following lurid Savile revelations

British health secretary Jeremy Hunt has apologised on behalf of the government to victims abused by Jimmy Savile in NHS-run institutions, following the publication of reports detailing the nature and scale of sexual abuse carried out by the BBC DJ at 28 hospitals.

Detailed reports produced by Leeds General Infirmary and Broadmoor psychiatric hospital said that Savile’s status as a celebrity fundraiser gave him unsupervised access to vulnerable patients, leading to the abuse of 71 people – including staff, patients and children – between the ages of five and 75.

The Leeds report contained shocking revelations that he had sexually “interfered with” bodies in a mortuary, and had not acted alone when he did so.

“We have let [the victims] down badly,” Mr Hunt said in a statement to the House of Commons, describing Savile, who died in 2011, as a “callous, opportunistic, wicked predator”.

“However long it may have been, many of them are still reliving the pain they went through.”

‘Opportunistic’ assaults

The Leeds investigation covered incidents ranging from lewd remarks and inappropriate touching to rape. The report stated that assaults “were opportunistic, and took place in public areas such as wards, lifts and corridors as well as Savile’s camper van and his mother’s house”.

Many victims testified that Savile had an unhealthy “fascination with the bodies of the deceased” and had access to the hospital mortuary, where it was claimed he “interfered with” the bodies of dead patients.

Two witnesses said that he had shown them rings made from “the glass eyes of dead bodies in the Leeds mortuary where I work”.

The abuse happened between 1962 and 2009, when Savile was 82. The majority of victims were in their late teens or early 20s at the time of their abuse. Only nine of his victims reported their experiences to hospital staff. The report said that, “on occasion, he was assisted in his abusive behaviour by others”.

The Broadmoor report said Savile had been given accommodation and keys to the high-security facility at some point in the 1970s, which gave him “unrestricted access” to ward areas. His right to hold them was withdrawn in 2009, though he had stopped visiting the hospital in 2004 when new security arrangements were put in place.

Dr Bill Kirkup, the lead investigator for Broadmoor, said Savile was “an adept manipulator of people”.

Describing him as an “opportunistic sexual predator”, the report detailed 10 allegations of sexual assault carried out on staff, patients and two children, plus one allegation of indecent exposure to a minor. He was also said to have regularly watched female patients taking showers.

“Both staff and patients believed that Savile was in a position of power and authority and could make their lives much worse, and the institutional culture of Broadmoor at the time strongly discouraged both groups from reporting,” the report said.

Mr Hunt added: “These reports paint a terrible picture, as time and again victims were ignored, or if they were not, little or no action was taken. The systems in place to protect people were either too weak or were ignored. People and institutions turned a blind eye.

“As a nation at that time we held Savile in our affection as a somewhat eccentric national treasure with a strong commitment to charitable causes. Today’s reports show that in reality he was a sickening and prolific abuser who repeatedly exploited the trust of a nation for his own vile purposes.”

‘Important issues’

The individual investigations were overseen by former barrister Kate Lampard, who was appointed by the secretary of state to provide independent oversight. In her assurance report, she said the process had “brought to light some important issues which are of relevance for the NHS of today and need to be addressed”.

A separate report into Savile’s activities at Stoke Mandeville hospital has been delayed after new information came to light. – (Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2014)