Jimmy Savile: The Pedophile Monster British Media Covered Up

“My parents would say to my aunt, ‘What are you doing letting a 50-year-old man take a bunch of under-age girls in his car?’ And my aunt would say, ‘Oh, he’s a friend of the school.’ ” —Merion Jones

If you take a look online or watch the news, you will most likely find at least one sexual assault survivor speaking out against their assailant. The time when sexual assault was too taboo to be discussed appears to have vanished.

No matter where you look, assailants are being outed. In politics, it's often President Donald Trump who is being decried for sexually abusing women. In major media, it's the #MeToo movement and watching Bill Cosby getting locked up.

This is great, but what about the crimes that still remain scuttled under the carpet? What about the scandals that weren't caught in time, and the scandals that victimized innocent people? What about the victims who died before they could fight back?

In Britain, the media seems to have a serious problem with sexual predation—a problem that regularly seems to have a focus on victimizing underage children. More disturbingly, it seems like the British media actively covers it up to the best of their abilities.

Britain's pedophile problem has regularly cropped up in scandals, with one of the most recent examples being the incarceration of Lostprophets leader Ian Watkins.

Prior to Ian Watkins' arrest, there was another man in Britain's media that was known to prey on children. His name was Jimmy Savile, and he was a monster.

From Wild Nightclub Owner to TV Personality

Born in 1929, Jimmy Savile didn't start his career in Hollywood; he started off as a miner during World War II. When the war ended, he became the first person to play twin turntables at dance halls.

His unique DJing style caught on and got him gigs throughout the country. Eventually, became a dance hall owner who hobnobbed with Britain's upper crust. His friends included major names like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and virtually every major musician in the country.

By 1958, he had gotten his first gig in radio. From there, his eccentric personality and stage presence made it easy for him to become a television personality. Not too long after he first saw television cameras, Savile's fame exploded.

A British Household Name

The '60s and '70s were a wild time in British media. It was a time when Monty Python was still being made and when Doctor Who first aired on television. Yes, many gems first saw airtime during this era—but in merry old England, one name stood out among them all.

That name was Jimmy Savile.

With his pointy features, peroxide blonde hair, and over-the-top demeanor, Savile was a man who stood out for both his odd features and his incredible way with people.

To the people of Britain, Jimmy was a comedian, a charmer, and a media personality. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that many people considered the wacky character to be the face of British media. He was on TV, radio, and even made appearances in movies.

Jimmy was media royalty, plain and simple. He had friends in royal places, could easily gain entrance into any show he desired, and regularly was praised for his performances in Top of the Pops and Jim'll Fix It.

The Filthy Philanthropist

Along with being a major media personality, Jimmy Savile became known for his ample charity work. When he wasn't performing for fans or getting in touch with media mainstays, Savile was finding ways to donate money and raise awareness for illnesses.

A major philanthropist and volunteer worker, Savile was known to fundraise for hospitals for sick children—hospitals he'd regularly visit and sleep in, citing "quality control" as a reason. Throughout his career, he had raised approximately $80 million for charities.

Savile's fame and seemingly charitable behavior got him the attention of the Queen, who knighted him in 1990.

A Definite Cause for Concern

When it came to his interactions with children, Savile seemed to regularly override normal behavior. And despite what should have been obvious signs of a child predator, no one seemed to bat an eye at what he did, simply because he was Jimmy Savile.

The most blatant example of his "overly-friendly" behavior would be the many private, unchaperoned tours he gave teenagers and children of his home and private studio. In many cases, studio staff members would leave him alone in his dressing room with kids as young as four years old.

It's not like things weren't caught on camera, either. In many circumstances, he was caught on camera perving on women a third his age. Nobody seemed to care, and if it was brought up, it'd be brushed aside as if nothing happened.

Finding victims seemed to be a specialty of his—and in many cases, he'd use connections from his volunteer work to gain access to kids. Savile was known for bringing his Rolls Royce to schools that accepted donations, loading them up with kids who wanted to visit a TV studio, then just dropping kids off unsupervised.

BBC producer Merion Jones had an aunt who was headmistress of the Duncroft School, a favorite charity target of Jimmy's. She recalled the following conversation with her aunt:

“My parents would say to my aunt, ‘What are you doing letting a 50-year-old man take a bunch of under-age girls in his car?’ And my aunt would say, ‘Oh, he’s a friend of the school.’ ” —Merion Jones

Though mainstream audiences adored Savile, rumors started to swirl about his behavior. Many people began to talk about his regular "accidental" groping of teenage girls.

Some even claimed that he had sex with children. Of those who had spent the night working at hospitals claimed that they saw Savile going into the morgue, hearing what sounded like sexual noises echoing from the cold chambers.

But, for some reason, the BBC brushed aside any claim that Savile could do any wrong. Anyone who contested the denials was quickly gagged and banned from the British Broadcasting Company.

Among those banned was Johnny Rotten of Sex Pistols' fame. He was banned from the BBC after saying he wanted to kill Savile, citing his hypocrisy.

"I think he’s into all kinds of seediness, that we all know about but are not allowed to talk about. I know some rumors! I bet none of this will be allowed out.” —Johnny Rotten, on Savile

It wasn't just the BBC who stayed silent, either. Police would regularly toss out reports involving Savile, and those who pressed charges would regularly find themselves being sued by Savile for slander—adding insult to injury.

By the late 1970s, rumors of Savile's predatory behavior started to eke out of the BBC's grips. Rotten actually mentioned it in an interview, when asked about Savile's reputation with kids.

"Yeah. I think most kids did, too. Most kids wanted to go at ‘The Top of the Pops’ [the most influential pop music show on British television at that time], but we all knew what that cigar-muncher was up to. I’m very, very bitter that the likes of Savile and the rest of them were allowed to continue.” —Johnny Rotten, on what kids knew about Savile

Clues Were There

If there was one thing that people had to admit about Jimmy Savile, it's that he left plenty of clues to his sadistic, sick, and creepy behavior. Many of his friends, including Gary Glitter, were later caught with child pornography. Savile defended them all, raising questions as to why he'd stand up for such monsters.

But, that's not the only strangeness linked to Savile's behavior. Many staff members noted that Savile, behind the scenes, didn't really seem to actually like children. Rather, he tolerated them—so why was he so obsessed with bringing them to his room?

"I think all children should be eaten at birth. That's for sure." —Jimmy Savile

Savile was known to bar children from touching him in public. The seeming aversion to kids apparently was just a ruse to throw people off his trail.

Multiple Investigations, Foiled

By the 1960s, police had investigated the BBC due to the spike in reports of rape, sexual assault, and injury coming from the studio's grounds. Mr. Stanley Dorfman, who was a producer at the time, noted that the allegations dealt with women who claimed to be assaulted by musicians.

Savile mysteriously was never named in the allegation.

Slowly but surely, a pattern came out that should have caused alarm. It became clear that Savile was paying off the families of kids who were raped, strong-arming people into silence using connections, and paying off institutions to scuttle the accusations.

Savile remained unaccused until after his death... and then the truth came out in spades.

It needs to be made clear that the victims were not always silent—even when threatened by Savile's legal team, the BBC, and local police. Over the course of Savile's career, hundreds of police reports were filed claiming that Savile attacked kids in his dressing room, house, and studio.

Many boys and girls who were guests on Savile's show, Jim'll Fix It, would later go on to claim that Savile led them into his dressing room and raped them. People at the Haut de la Garenne children's home in Jersey claimed he came in an sexually assaulted multiple children.

More worryingly, children's hospital staff members noted that Savile would often be spotted sneaking into the morgue. It was often surmised that he would assault the victims that couldn't fight back at all—primarily because they passed away.

One such victim, a 15-year-old girl named Clair McAlpine, committed suicide after her parents banned her from seeing Top of the Pops after reading her diary. Her diary claimed that she was having a sexual relationship with Mr. Savile, and that she would regularly attend sex parties with the celebrity.

Though there were other rumors surrounding it, the diary was dismissed as fantasy. Clair's half-brother, a man named Mark Ufland, had this to say:

“There were some details in there which could be proved. At one point she says she went somewhere and she did actually go there. From what I know, it was celebrities who were involved. But there was no one else coming forward at that time. Clair could have done with all these women who are coming out now."

Scandal Erupts

“I’d feel v queasy about an obit. I saw the real truth!!!” —A leaked email from a BBC television executive discussing airing an obituary for Savile

When Jimmy Savile passed away, the floodgates had opened. The BBC apparently realized that they could no longer protect Savile. The studio published a Newsnight report to look into the allegations of the abuser.

Studio producers Meirion Jones and Liz MacKean interviewed victims who described the torture they underwent. Within days, police stations were flooded with post-humous accounts of Savile's sadistic nature, being sexually assaulted, and yes, even accounts of necrophilia.

To date, over 400 cases of sexual assault have been opened against Savile—and at least one hospital had to be investigated on accusations of necrophilic acts being performed on bodies by Savile.

So far, there have been well over 250 cases which were confirmed as rape tied to Jimmy Savile. The victims range from fully grown adults, including a studio secretary, to a child as young as two years old. The Savile scandal continues to unfurl long after his death.

The man who once enthralled millions of viewers with his humor, radio talent, and charity work became one of Britain's most horrific villains. To date, the British police claim that he is one of the most prolific serial rapists in history.

While it's great that people finally know the truth, what isn't great was that so many people stayed quiet about his crimes while he was still alive. What isn't great is that hundreds of young boys and girls were raped while people knew what was going on.

People knew about all this—for decades, nonetheless. There's nothing that can be done to protect the victims from their memories of Jimmy. But, there still is something that can be done.

Asking how this happened is no longer the question. We know the answer. He used his money, power, and connections to keep people quiet.

What we should ask, is why no one has been held accountable for their silence, and why they are not seen as willing accomplices to Savile's horrific crimes?