BY GABRIEL PRINCEWILL
The awaited report into the Jimmy Saville scandal at the BBC involving sex abuses in their premises makes grim reading. The sad reality that the former DJ abused 45 people on their premises without reprimand from authorities, is too disgraceful to ponder.
Extracts from Janme Janet Smith’s report that confirms multiple rape of boys and girls in each of the premises he worked reveals an alarming failing on the part of bosses at a corporation that should be the standard bearers of principles and integrity. Her outright attack on a ”booze fueled differential culture” of BBC management in the 70’s and 80’s which left staff afraid to speak out is a damning indictment on an organization that should have been leading the way in terms of effectively regulating the internal affairs of one’s organization.
Her report which explicitly states that victims were abused in corridors , canteens, studios, staircases, and dressing rooms, without punishment offends the mind of every decent citizen with an ounce of morality or conscience in them. Her refusal to condemn the corporation on the grounds of them supposedly having no evidence, can be seen to show a level of allegiance to the corporation.
In reality, it is not the present corporation that deserve criticism, but rather all those who were in authority at the height of the scandal when some of the abuses were reported. It is known that position of power was the overriding consideration in allowing the notorious late pervert DJ escape punishment, not so much lack of evidence. What beggars belief is that a prolific sex offender could have abused so many without detection from bosses at the corporation.
However, she says their failure to recognize Saville as an unsuitable presenter of top of the pop and Jim’ll Fix it did not significantly increase the risk of sexual abuse to young people. The truth is that it did increase the risk, but the BBC cannot be held responsible if they did not genuinely know of the abuses and its pervasive scale. The question is whether the BBC should reasonably be expected to have known of at least some of the abuses if a number of complaints were made.
Evidence is not necessary to determine it unsafe for a DJ about whom several sexual complaints have been made to have exclusive access to young boys and girls, to the extent he did. Especially to have keys to several hospitals the way he dis, is unthinkable. Four rapes of girls, two under sixteen, ten abuse of boys, 9 of whom were under 16, come on! How could nobody have known? The late weirdo also ran a group of six to eight girls between 15 and 17 who he called his ‘London team’ and and with whom he had sex in his dressing room, flat and caravan.
Saville must have thought he was a god of sorts having the time of his life committing so many atrocities that gratified his warped sexual desires. Dame says that a three part interview with the Sun in 1984 in which he claimed to be chasing girls for sex after marathons was enough for senior bosses to realize he was unfit to present top of the pops and Jim’ll fix it. She is right. Her report that Lord Grade who was controller of BBC in in 1984 said that a ”groupie culture”, a string of girls, whatever the age, was part of the scene in the 70’s and 80’s, says it all.
The implication of his comment is that this sort of lifestyle was prevalent and acceptable to them in those days, yet this does not absolve them of the responsibility for tolerating the indiscretions of Saville. It is sad, he is dead and gone. The pain and wounds of his evil sexual abuses remain with the victims and the families. The least the BBC can do now as a corporation is apologize for the failings on behalf of their predecessors, but those in the corridor of power at the time should cover their face in shame.
