Savile Abuse Reports - Live bbc

BBC :

Ex-BBC DJ Jimmy Savile sexually assaulted victims aged five to 75 in NHS hospitals over decades of unrestricted access, it has emerged.

He abused patients in their beds, in corridors and offices, reviews into his conduct on NHS premises found.

The reports cover 28 hospitals including Leeds General Infirmary and Broadmoor psychiatric hospital.

Victims of the "opportunistic sexual predator" included patients, visitors and staff, the reports say.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is expected to apologise in the Commons over the late broadcaster's actions.

'Manipulative'
Savile, a Radio 1 DJ who also presented the BBC's Top Of The Pops and Jim'll Fix It, died aged 84 in October 2011 - a year before allegations that he had sexually abused children were broadcast in an ITV documentary.

The revelations prompted more than a hundred people to come forward, giving accounts of how they were sexually assaulted by Savile on NHS premises.

The Metropolitan Police passed the material to the Department of Health, which gave it to the hospital trusts to investigate.

The Department of Health appointed Kate Lampard QC to oversee the individual independent hospital investigations to make sure they were properly carried out.

The reports on Leeds General Infirmary and Broadmoor are the most detailed.

Leeds General Infirmary
The report on abuse at Leeds General Infirmary is one of the most detailed of the 28
They explain how he was allowed unsupervised access to vulnerable patients, with a failure to question the risks of his unconventional and promiscuous lifestyle.

At Leeds, 60 people came forward to say they had been abused between the ages of five and 75.

Some were staff. The offences ranged from lewd remarks to sexual assault and three cases of rape.

Only nine victims told members of staff. There were a further eight female victims who met Savile at the hospital, but were not patients. The abuse took place from 1962 to 2009.

At Leeds, a number of organisational failures over the years enabled Savile to continue unchallenged. These included weak systems to protect patients, poor complaints systems and leadership that lacked curiosity.

'Inappropriate influence'
The situation allowed someone "as manipulative as Savile to thrive and continue his abusive behaviour unchecked for years", it said.

The investigation at Leeds found no evidence that reports of abuse were communicated to senior managers.

But it also makes clear that Savile exerted inappropriate influence in having a close associate from Leeds, Alan Franey, appointed as general manager.

The report said there was evidence the head porter, Charles Hullighan, played a central role in the introduction of a staff volunteer at the radio station to Savile - who he then raped.

The report was clear, however, that no one person is to blame for what happened at the hospital other than Savile. But it did describe a lack of curiosity about his activities.

'Narcissistic and arrogant'
At Broadmoor, the report describes an inappropriate culture that allowed sexual liaisons between staff and patients and discouraged reporting of concerns.

It was common practice in the late 1980s for female patients to be required to strip and shower naked in front of staff. Savile watched and made inappropriate comments, the report said.

Savile is described as "narcissistic, arrogant and lacking in any empathy". He was also very manipulative and staff were convinced he had close connections in high places, the report said.

But it concluded there was "no evidence that those responsible knew anything of the very much darker side that has since become evident".

Eleven allegations of sexual abuse were reported to the review. Six of them involved patients, two staff and three children.

The report said the numbers were very likely to be an underestimate of the true picture because so many former patients simply wished to forget their time at Broadmoor.