Another day, and the claims grow ever wilder; now permeating even those parts of the media – like The Times – that you might have relied upon in the past to check their sources and report actual facts. But then with the BBC continuing to taunt the Murdoch press with never ending coverage of ‘phone hacking’, I guess we will have to put up with the children in Murdoch’s playground retaliating…
“Savile’s NHS: relentless, warped abuse of the living and the dead”.
Strange how the BBC have removed every edition of Top of the Pops on which you might catch a glimpse of The Great Predator’, yet the print media continue to taunt the ‘victims’ with a daily diet of pictures of him.
Overnight I have received an e-mail from an impeccable source – a one time girlfriend of Jimmy Savile whom I have been in contact with for a long time; she was not only present when he purchased said ‘ring made from the glass eye of a corpse’ from a stall in London’s Kensington market for the princely sum of £75, but was also aware of said ring’s demise – reduced to a tangled mass in the back of a London taxi by Uri Geller, much to Savile’s distress, because he was really quite taken with the ring…if the glass eye did originate from a corpse, which I seriously doubt, it was not Savile’s doing – now you know.
I shall now continue with my mission to put summaries of the actual results of all those expensive NHS reports into Yewtree allegations, that the media don’t bother to read, on the record…
From Monday, I shall be continuing this process, but I shall also been writing of other matters – mainly because going through these allegations of ‘relentless, warped abuse’ or should I say, so far, ‘relentless, warped allegations’, in the hope of finding anything that might reasonably be said to justify Savile’s position as ‘Britain’s’ No 1 Paedophile’ is making me exceedingly angry. Other countries have proper Paedophiles – we seem, so far, to be making do with an ageing disc jockey much given to kissing arms…
I’m tempted to say – how typically British.
Cardiff Royal Infirmary 21 pages that occupied the time of the Lead Nurse for Safeguarding Adults and the Assistant Director of Nursing for many months.
Operation Yewtree recorded an allegation of sexual assault in respect of Ms ‘A’, a 21/22 year old at that time. Ms ‘A’ claimed that whilst an in-patient at midnight on New Years Eve, Matron (or the Night Sister) attended the ward with three men. Whilst the nurse stood at the end of the ward with the two men talking, patient A was approached by an individual believed to be Jimmy Savile (JS). He was dressed in a tracksuit and had long blonde hair. He was wearing jewellery and was walking quickly around the ward. He took the patient’s left hand and started to kiss it and moved up kissing her arm whilst leaning on the bed. When he got near her shoulder/armpit she felt very uncomfortable and pulled the sheets over herself. The male, believed to be JS then moved away to the next patient.
Two senior nurses visited Ms ‘A’ at her home, where she was attended by her carer, accompanied by a female Nurse Specialist for Safeguarding. Ms ‘A’ was quite anxious and obviously felt affected by the memories, she did not want to go into too much detail.
Which was a bit of a shame, because subsequently it was discovered that:
The discharge summary indicated that surgery on patient A’s left ear had been undertaken. The date of the surgery on the observation chart has been recorded as the 12th of May and date of admission has been recorded as the 10th of May.
The only record of JS attending the CRI that could be found relates to a photograph that was taken in the 1980s. An account given by the member of staff who has the photograph in their possession, was that JS was running a marathon that day and had used the toilet in the CRI before posing for a picture with a number of portering staff.
The UHB has no reason to disbelieve patient A, but no documentary evidence could be found to show that she was in hospital in the CRI on or around New Years Eve 1963/1964 1964/1965 and no evidence could be found to show that JS visited the hospital in the 1960’s.
Digby Hospital, Devon. 19 pages and 5,000 words from the due diligence of the ‘Root Cause Analysis Facilitator’
Operation Yewtree recorded an allegation of rape made by Ms ‘X’ whilst at the Russell Clinic. Ms X stated Jimmy Savile was in a motor home/caravan and he invited her to see the vehicle, where he then raped her. She did not report the incident to anyone at the time and did not believe anyone was aware of what had happened. She provided four photographs; one of herself and another patient with Jimmy Savile; one with one nurse and Jimmy Savile; one of Jimmy Savile and four nurses and one of an unidentified man (who Ms X said was Jimmy Savile’s chauffeur) standing in front of a Mercedes camper-van.
At the time of the alleged incident the Russell Clinic accommodated patients who were admitted in an“acutely disturbed state”. A retired nurse volunteered that she remembered talking to staff in the hospital canteen during a break and someone said that Jimmy Savile had been in that day to visit a patient on a ward. She thought that this was not a special organised event. She said this would have been in the late 1960’s and would have been in Wonford House Hospital not the Russell Clinic at Digby as she was working at Wonford House on the children’s unit at the time. There are no official records which indicate Jimmy Savile visited the hospital, however it is possible he visited a specific patient who he knew, which would not necessarily draw attention of the press or senior hospital staff. There is no reason to doubt Ms X’s account; therefore it is concluded the incident took place.
Moss Side Hospital 31 pages by the Director of Operations, High Secure Services into 4 allegations.
Operation Yewtree recorded three allegations; two where female patients alleged that JS sexually abused them on a ward whilst he was visiting Moss Side Hospital. The third allegation was from a male ex-patient, who claimed that he witnessed JS stroke a patient’s breast at a hospital social event. A fourth allegation came from a former member of staff who stated that JS regularly visited the hospital and who speculated that incidents of abuse could possibly have taken place. The alleged incidents took place between 1971 and 1985.
Allegation One: The investigators were given details of an allegation involving the sexual abuse of Ms X, a female patient between 1971 and 1973. However as Ms X has not consented for the information she provided to the police to be used in the report the details of the allegation have not been included.
Allegation Two: Ms Y indicated the she was wearing a nightie when JS visited the ward during the day. Ms Y stated that she and other female patients were encouraged to sit on JS’s knee and have their photograph taken; Whilst she was sitting on his knee, he put his hand on her thigh and moved it upwards, towards her intimate area. She remonstrated with him screaming in protest, and as a result was isolated by staff when she tried to explain what had happened to her. Ms Y informed the investigators that she had a photograph taken sitting on JS’s knee, though access to this was through her mother. The investigators did not have access to this photograph. Sight of this would have confirmed that JS did visit the ward and Ms Y did have contact with him. It would though not have proved that the incident occurred. Ms Y did not feel able to provide further information to the Trust’s investigators (other than that shared with the police) as she found it very upsetting.
Allegation Three: Mr Z, an ex-member of staff who worked at Moss Side Hospital in the education department for 21 years from 1975, contacted the police to raise his concerns about the activities undertaken by JS. Mr Z said that there were many rumours at the time regarding JS’s visits. Mr Z alleged that at the time, custodial care (care focused on maintaining security) and treatment commonplace. Mr Z’s main purpose in contacting the police was to confirm that JS did attend Moss Side Hospital, and not just Rampton and Broadmoor hospitals as the media seemed to be suggesting. No further investigation required.
Allegation Four: Mr A contacted Operation Yewtree on 9 February 2013 to raise concerns that he had about an alleged incident he had witnessed in approximately 1975 whilst he was a patient at Moss Side Hospital. He vividly recalls JS on this occasion as he had one half of his face shaved and one half with a beard. He remembers seeing JS put his hand down the front of a female patient’s clothing. Mr A was not able to recall her taking exception to this alleged behaviour.
It is clear from speaking with staff that JS did attend Moss Side Hospital between the time periods under review (1971–1985). Investigators have been informed by interviewees that JS came as frequently as four times per year to Moss Side Hospital. He would be invited by the social events organiser and would be a special guest at prize-giving, sporting occasions, fetes and theatrical performances.
All staff who were interviewed have informed investigators that JS was never provided with a set of keys and was always escorted wherever he was in the hospital. The investigators conclude that it is clear from their evidence that JS did attend Moss Side Hospital. JS did have access to patients, though it would have been with staff present based on information provided by all staff interviewed and from the descriptions of the incidents provided by the patients.
Ms X and Ms Y have given a clear description of alleged incidents of abuse. Mr A described an alleged incident with another patient. The investigators do not have any reason to disbelieve them and found their information credible.
Barnet and Chase Farm 25 pages by the Chief Operating Officer and 5 man ‘investigating’ team plus Capsticks Solicitors, LLP to provide legal assurance of the investigation.
Operation Yewtree recorded an allegation by a lady who remembered being a patient on an orthopaedic ward at BGH in 1985. She described having a conversation with the nurses in which they allegedly said they spied on JS and observed him having sex with a dead body.
The conversation reported by the witness happened at BGH, however the incident of JS having sex with dead bodies was alleged to have happened at a different hospital.
That it is likely that the conversation with the nurses happened as the witness said it did however the details of the incident described are hearsay as they were not directly witnessed by the patient who reported the incident.
That the witness cannot be clear in identifying the actual hospital where the alleged incident occurred.
That the Trust could not identify the nurses from the patient’s records and therefore could not interview them to corroborate the allegation.
The investigation undertaken by the Trust could find no record of JS being involved with BGH, either through fund raising events, VIP visits or charitable donations.
Booth Hall Hospital, Manchester. 30 pages by the Associate Director for Clinical Effectiveness.
Operation Yewtree recorded a sexual offence in respect of Miss ‘A’. Circa 1959, the alleged victim A/N249*, then aged 7-8 years old was admitted to Booth Hall Hospital to have an appendectomy. She was in a ward with other patients, there were no staff present. Savile came in to visit accompanied by the patient’s father, the patient’s full statement details the fact that her father not only abused her but allowed Savile to do so. She alleges that this happened numerous times over a period of years. During the visit to Booth Hall Hospital Savile put his hands under the bed clothes and sexually assaulted her. She was not sure how long this took and does not remember it happening again at Booth Hall Hospital. She told no one.
A second allegation was recorded as follows:. In 1974, when the alleged victim was 9 or 10 years old he was a patient in hospital. He named the hospital as ‘Middleton Hospital’. He alleges that the nurses told the patients Jimmy Savile was coming to visit and that they were to hide under the covers and pretend to be asleep. Savile then came over to the bed put his hands under the sheets and onto the victim’s genitals. The victim alleges he then chased Savile from the ward. He reported that he had told his parents when they visited and that they had reported this to Middleton Police Station. On interview he reported that it had been an Aunt and Uncle who had visited in hospital, when asked if they could be interviewed stated “no, you won’t get anything out of them”.
Running throughout this investigation has been the challenge of finding any supporting evidence for the allegations made by the alleged victims. It has not been possible therefore to produce conclusive evidence that the events described by both alleged victims took place.
The investigator concludes that as, enquiries with the Charities Team in relation to records of donation have not provided any evidence to link Savile formally with the Hospital and the Operation Yewtree team have indicated that no further allegations have been received to date, on balance, the likelihood of finding anything was low. The process would also be extremely labour intensive, requiring a microfiche search of newspaper articles over a 15 year period. An intensive online search yielded nothing in respect of official visits made to Booth Hall Hospital by Jimmy Savile.