When Jimmy Savile's crimes were eventually uncovered, they shocked the nation. Between 1955 and 2009 he committed hundreds of sexual offenses, mainly against children. My investigation into Jimmy Savile began by chance. He kept turning up. I thought it was strange. But when I tried to track them down, I could never find a witness or a victim. I remember I didn't really get anywhere. He was too important. Jimmy Savile had inordinate power. You've got to decide between the mad and bad, which is a
simplification in terms. They're criminals in the sense that they've broken the law. That there's something terribly exciting about being able to pull the wool over people's eyes. He's not what you think, you know. The forces of darkness are at work there. I don't really have to justify why I like it. Jimmy Savile was a huge figure, but he was also an enigma. Spare the rod and spoil the child. That was the case with you. He was very, very recognizable and distinctive. I don't think you can under
stand Jimmy Savile without appreciating that he was a Catholic. My God is for me, and I reckon I've come off the best because my God is a real great guy. There's a constant theme in Jimmy Savile's interviews. The more he was doing on the bad side, the more he had to do on the good side. I suspected that things had gone on. They were nervous and frightened. I mean, they had to be coaxed. I was aware that he did prominent cases. What he was best known for was defamation. You are exposing any weakn
esses or deficiencies in your own life for public scrutiny. So there was this attitude of the police at the time, you know, of almost a defeatist approach to this. The head of the unit fears that public
awareness of the problem is lagging far behind. They live almost a parallel life. They try to **** with your head as well. Please do not let him get away with this perversion. Don't let him continue to think he's untouchable or that his secret is too well hidden. I'd forgotten how much the audie
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liked that joke. He managed to coexist with a public image of being a national treasure, hugely valued. I'm sure he was booked on the program because he was a controversial figure. He was a deeply creepy bloke, but people didn't mind this, and that was about the level of it. It did make me think. It was at the back of my mind. We used to get into a fit of giggles at church. There was something amok. He was upset. You stated at the very beginning of this interview your policy on this sort of
thing. I would love to see him get what he just deserves. He loved vulnerable ones because he knew he could manipulate us. You start getting a picture that things were more widespread. He's going to his grave with me not saying my truth. A foreign visitor would have thought it was a member of the royal family or a prime minister's funeral or something. The BBC broadcasts wall-to-wall Jimmy Savile tributes. The claims first appeared this weekend, based on a yet-to-be-seen television documentary.
The previous claims had been brushed aside by the police and been dropped. The so-called kangaroo court needs to stop. Being a teenager, you do blame yourself, and I didn't understand it. 13 different police forces are now dealing with a catalog of complaints. Police say there are now 400 lines of inquiry into sexual abuse by Jimmy Savile. There is a range of offending, from inappropriate touching to indecent assault and to rape. It's because of this immense change in public opinion. Being able
to lock things away was the way I coped. By 2016 over 400 people had come forward with allegations of sexual abuse against Jimmy Savile. Investigations found his crimes had
taken place at the BBC, in schools, children's homes, and hospitals all over Britain.
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