Jimmy Savile sexually abused victim in Wirral, report reveals

Jan 16 2013 by Radhika Sanghani, Birkenhead News

SHAMED Jimmy Savile sexually abused a victim in Wirral, a police report revealed.

He allegedly committed an offence at the now-demolished St Catherine’s Hospital in Birkenhead in 1964.

The revelation was included in a joint report by the Metropolitan Police and NSPCC which uncovered a 54-year reign of sexual abuse by the disgraced TV presenter, who died in October 2011.

Some of Savile’s victims may have been as young as eight and 214 offences have been recorded nationwide.

The NSPCC said Savile was one of the most prolific sex offenders in its 129-year history.

Wirral community NHS trust, which runs services at the new St Catherine’s Medical Centre on the site of the former St Catherine’s Hospital, said: “We are shocked to hear of the allegation about Jimmy Savile which has been revealed by the Metropolitan Police.

“The alleged offence took place many years ago when the former hospital was run by a separate organisation and we were unaware of his involvement.

“We will fully co-operate with the police investigation and have started our own internal investigation, which we will share with the Department of Health.”

Savile allegedly committed another offence in 1971 at a special hospital which stood on the site of the secure psychiatric Ashworth Hospital in Maghull.

Ray Walker, director at Mersey Care NHS Trust, which runs Ashworth Hospital, said: “We will be conducting an investigation into the matter and reporting any findings and lessons to the Department of Health.”

According to the police and NSPCC report, Savile offended at 14 medical sites nationally, including children’s hospital Great Ormond Street in London and Wheatfields Hospice in Leeds.

His youngest victim was an eight-year-old boy and the oldest was 47, but 73% of his victims were aged under 18.

Commander Peter Spindler, who is leading the national investigation into Savile’s abuse, said: “Savile’s offending footprint was vast, predatory and opportunistic.

“He cannot face justice today, but we hope this report gives some comfort to his hundreds of victims.

“They have been listened to and taken seriously.”

A total of 617 people have made contact with police investigating claims against Savile and other high-profile celebrities, with 450 relating directly to the former DJ.

Peter Watt, NSPCC director of child protection advice and awareness, said nearly 800 additional children had been protected from abuse due to the attention given to the allegations against Savile.

He said: “We also know from the huge increase in calls to the NSPCC helpline about sexual abuse that the problem did not die with Savile.

“Since the Savile scandal broke, we have seen a surge in contacts about child abuse, both past and present, with many victims speaking out for the first time.”

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: “This report highlights the shocking scale of offending by Jimmy Savile over five decades and shows the need to learn lessons from his crimes.”