Do You Consider Jimmy Savile To Be Innocent And A Working-Class Hero? A Reform UK Candidate Does

Jimmy Savile, a British television and radio personality, was posthumously revealed to have committed numerous sexual offences over several decades. These offences came to light following an ITV documentary in 2012 titled Exposure: The Other Side of Jimmy Savile. After this, investigations were launched, most notably by the Metropolitan Police and the NSPCC under Operation Yewtree.

However, Stephen Hartley, a Reform UK local elections candidate for Banbury Hardwick ward for Oxfordshire County Council, said he had doubts over whether the allegations made by victims against Savile were true.

The following are what Mr Hartley believes Jimmy Savile to be innocent of:

General Findings:

• Number of victims: At least 450 individuals reported abuse by Savile.
• Victim ages: Ranged from 8 to 47 years old at the time of the offences.
• Time span: Offences took place between 1955 and 2009.
• Locations: His abuse occurred in hospitals, TV studios, children’s homes, schools, and BBC premises across the UK.

Nature of Offences:

• Sexual assault: The majority of reports were of indecent assault, both against children and adults.
• Rape: There were several credible reports of rape, including of minors.
• Groping and molestation: Many victims described being touched or fondled without consent, often in public or semi-public settings.
• Abuse in institutions: He exploited access to vulnerable individuals in places such as:
  • Stoke Mandeville Hospital
  • Leeds General Infirmary
  • Broadmoor Hospital (a high-security psychiatric hospital)
  • Various BBC premises and events

Notable Aspects:

• Use of status: Savile used his celebrity status and charity work to gain access to victims and avoid scrutiny.
• Institutional failings: Numerous organisations, including the BBC and NHS institutions, failed to act on complaints or suspicions raised at the time.
• Posthumous investigation: All formal charges were revealed and substantiated after his death in 2011, meaning he was never prosecuted in life.

Official Reports:

1. “Giving Victims a Voice” (2013) – Joint report by the Metropolitan Police and NSPCC.
2. Department of Health Inquiry – Found systemic failings in hospitals.
3. BBC Investigations (Dame Janet Smith Review) – Revealed a culture of silence and inadequate safeguarding.
4. Savile NHS Investigation Reports – Detailed abuse at over 30 NHS hospitals.

The Savile enablers were a big gang:

Reform UK have now announced that they have withdrawn support for Mr Hartley.