Police restricted access to intelligence that could have exposed Jimmy Savile’s sex crimes because it involved celebrity, blackmail and paedophilia, a report has revealed.
A letter received by Scotland Yard in 1998 claiming the DJ was a paedophile was classed as “sensitive”, meaning other investigators could not find it, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) found.
“The 1998 MPS anonymous letter was marked as ‘sensitive’ because of Savile’s celebrity status and because there were allegations of blackmail and paedophilia. This categorisation meant that the intelligence was not readily available to be searched by later investigating officers,” the inspectors said.
Scotland Yard sent the letter to West Yorkshire Police, the area where Savile lived, but other investigators could not access the information until 2011.
The letter said: “The image that Jimmy Savile has tried to portray over the years is someone who is deeply concerned with his fellow man; however, the thrust of this is entirely the opposite. His fundraising activities are not out of altruistic motives, but purely for selfish advancement and an easy living.
“He has slimed his way in wherever possible. He has tried to hide his homosexuality which in any event is an open secret with those who know; but did you know that he is also a deeply committed paedophile and involved in buggery with young children.
“What can not be acceptable and must be stopped is Jimmy Savile’s paedophilia. I know he has pornography, but do not know which of his houses it is in.
“Please, do not let him get away with this perversion and that he feels immune because of the people he mixes with. There are too many of his perverted type around. Don’t let him continue to think he is untouchable, or that his secret is too well hidden.
“I have done my duty, my conscience is clear, you have the power, time, and resources at Scotland Yard to wheedle him out, and expose him for what he really is.
“If you think this is a hoax, or a crank letter, think again. It is not I who suffer if you do nothing, but the children.”
In 2007, Surrey police investigated three complaints made against Savile, later tied in with an allegation made to officers in Sussex. HMIC found that had Surrey known about the 1998 letter and a complaint against Savile received by Scotland Yard in 2003, the investigation would have been pursued more vigorously.
The HMIC report also found that Savile’s celebrity status impeded investigations.
“It is absolutely clear to us as a result of this review that one of the reasons why allegations were not made at the time, or investigations were not conducted as they might have been, centres on Savile’s status,” it said.