Jimmy Savile NHS abuse victims aged five to 75 -jewellery out of glass eyes

[wendy]

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

He assaulted patients in bed, and claimed to have abused corpses, reviews into his conduct on NHS premises found.

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

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt apologised to victims, saying Savile's actions "will shake our country to the core".
'Glass eyes'
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    He was a sickening and prolific sexual abuser who repeatedly exploited the trust of a nation”

Jeremy Hunt Health secretary

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 reports on Leeds General Infirmary and Broadmoor are detailed and, at times, graphic.

They explain how Savile was allowed unsupervised access to vulnerable patients, with a failure to question the risks of his unconventional and promiscuous lifestyle.

The Leeds investigation found:

    Sixty people came forward to say they had been abused between the ages of five and 75, including staff
    The offences ranged from lewd remarks to sexual assault and three cases of rape and took place between 1962 and 2009
    Only nine victims told members of staff. There were a further eight female victims who met Savile at the hospital, but were not patients
    Savile had a well-known fixation with the dead and the report contains allegations he posed for photographs and performed sex acts on corpses in the hospital mortuary
    While there is no way to verify the claim, Dr Sue Proctor - who led the Leeds inquiry - said there is no doubt controls on access to the mortuary were "lax"
    Patients, including teenagers recovering from surgery, were abused in their beds
    A 10-year-old boy was sexually assaulted while he waited on a trolley for an x-ray on his broken arm
    A number of organisational failures over the years enabled Savile to continue unchallenged
    The situation allowed someone "as manipulative as Savile to thrive and continue his abusive behaviour unchecked for years".

Mr Hunt told the Commons one victim being treated at Leeds General Infirmary feared she was pregnant after being abused.

There were also reports that Savile made jewellery out of glass eyes taken from dead bodies from the hospital mortuary, he told MPs.

Mr Hunt apologised on behalf of the government and the NHS, saying of the victims: "We let them down badly."

The health secretary said there was a "deep sense of revulsion" over the findings.

He added: "As a nation, at that time we held Savile in our affection as a somewhat eccentric national treasure with a strong commitment to charitable causes.

"Today's report shows that in reality he was a sickening and prolific sexual abuser who repeatedly exploited the trust of a nation for his own vile purposes."

Mr Hunt is writing to all NHS trusts asking them to ensure they are confident about patient safety.

A spokesman for Prime Minister David Cameron said he was "deeply shocked", adding it was "important lessons are learned".
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Dr Sue Proctor on mortuary allegations - This clip contains some disturbing content

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.

One 16-year-old victim told BBC Radio 4's Today programme she was abused by Savile in a basement at the Leeds hospital.

When she started to tell nurses, they laughed so she did not tell them everything.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-28034427

[maureenho]

It makes me feel sick when I see anything about that despicable man, where will it all end, more and more keeps coming to light.

[Rosalind]

It is disgusting, a shame he is not alive to be bought to justice for his crimes.

[annie]

It is sickening

[JaneJ]

It is unbelievable how sick a pervert he was and never got to pay for his crimes