Savile/Jaconelli/Corrigan paedo-ring investigation: Update
- Crime and Parliamentary Affairs correspondent TIM HICKS reports with an update on Real Whitby’s Jimmy Savile/Peter Jaconelli/Jimmy Corrigan investigation.
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There have been a number of recent developments in Real Whitby’s ongoing Jimmy Savile/Peter Jaconelli/Jimmy Corrigan investigation
The Whitby connection.
Real Whitby was the first to reveal a link between Jimmy Savile, Peter Jaconelli and Jimmy Corrigan and Rampton Secure Psychiatric Hospital. Reports here and here
As a result of our investigation, Rampton was directed by the NHS to conduct a full investigation.
In October 2013, the National Health Service confirmed that its Savile investigation would be extended to another thirty hospitals including the Whitby Memorial Hospital
Lucy Brown, Head of Communications for York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust commented:
“The Whitby Memorial Hospital investigation focussed on a single allegation 50 years ago. It was reported to the police, and we were asked to investigate by the Department of Health, who wanted to ensure that all allegations relating to hospitals were investigated. We have no evidence or information about any other visits” [by Savile, Jaconelli or Corrigan] “at any of our hospitals. In terms of reporting, our report is now with the Department of Health, and I understand they will publish them all at the same time.”
If you have any memories of Jimmy Savile, Peter Jaconelli or Jimmy Corrigan in Whitby, we would be very interested in hearing from you, either by posting a comment below or by e mail to [email protected]
The May Lodge Children’s Home Scarborough
Real Whitby reported that prior to moving to The Esplanade, Savile’s mother lived in Foley Street, Scarborough, from about 1960 onwards. On the 24th of January 2013, Real Whitby was the first to raise concerns that it was very close to the May Lodge National Children’s Home. Savile visited his mother in Scarborough frequently and although we have no evidence to suggest there were any offences committed against children from the home, given Savile’s uncontrollable urges to abuse children, we raised it as a concern.
Following information received from the Metropolitan Police, on the 27th of March 2014 Education Secretary Michael Gove has ordered that concerns that Jimmy Savile abused children at 21 children’s homes and schools in England must be investigated by local authorities
The allegations concern institutions in Yorkshire, London, Manchester, Kent, Surrey and Devon, among others, and relate to the 1960s, 70s and 80s, but the May Lodge Children’s home is not one of them. Real Whitby will be nevertheless writing to Mr Grove asking for May Lodge to be included in the Education Authority investigation.
Operation Seabrook. The Medomsley Detention Centre investigation by Durham Police
Real Whitby and the Sunday Express have consistently alleged that Jimmy Savile abused children in Scarbrough as part of a paedophile-ring consisting of Savile, Peter Jaconelli, Jimmy Corrigan and others, which abused hundreds of children in Scarborough over fifty years.
In a shocking development, Police in the next County have confirmed they are investigating a similar paedophile-ring which abused about 500 young persons over a period of about twenty years.
It is centred around Nevile Husband a prison officer in a juvenile detention centre, who used his position of authority at Meadomsley Detention Centre to sexually abuse the youngsters in the 1970s to 1980s before becoming a minister in the United Reformed Church. He was jailed for eight years (subsequently increased to ten when more victims came forward) in 2003 for abusing five young male Medomsley inmates between 1977 and 1984. An investigation by The Guardian revealed he had raped boys on a daily basis for more than 15 years, while other staff allegedly turned a blind eye. His former colleague Leslie Johnson, was also jailed for six years in 2005 for sexual offences. Both have since died.
Full Guardian Report here.
There are some disturbing similarities between Husband, Jaconelli and Savile.
- Savile, Husband and Jaconelli were authority figures and pillars of society.
- Husband offended from at least 1969 until he retired in 1990 (twenty-one years) and abused hundreds of victims, Jaconelli offended from at least 1951 until his death in 1999 (at least forty eight years) and may have abused over a thousand victims, Savile offended from 1955 to 2009 (fifty four years) and abused hundreds of victims.
- Both men were reported to the police (See Real Whitby witness evidence at 15.41) and Kevin Young’s evidence here, but the complaints were ignored or supressed, because of the status of their abuser and their position in society.
- The authorities must have known about their offending.
- Husband operated in a ring, Jaconelli is alleged to have operated in a ring with Savile, Corrigan and others.
- Police at the time knew about their offending but did not realise the gravity of it or the complex ring that surrounded them.
- All three were showered with Honours for their lifetime of abuse. Savile was knighted and made a Freeman of the Borough of Scarbrough. Jaconelli was made an Alderman and Husband – incredibly – received the Imperial Service Medal although his offending was well known in the Prison Service.
- Both scandals have been exposed by the BBC Inside Out Team. Their Jaconelli investigation in which Real Whitby assisted is here: BBC Inside Out Real Whitby, broadcast on the 10th of February 2014. The Medomsley Detention Centre programme is here: BBC Inside Out Medomsley Detention Centre Investigation broadcast on the 3rd of February 2014.
I have covered the Medomsley Detention Centre case because it shows it is entirely possible for public and authority figures to commit offences and evade detection for many years, as it is alleged that Savile and Jaconelli did.
The Durham and North Yorkshire Police investigations compared.
Durham Police has responded promptly to the evidence that has come to light and launched a major investigation. In particular, it has faced up to the allegations that it failed to investigate Husband properly, admitted it happened and started an investigation to identify the officers concerned.
Durham Police agreed to be interviewed for the BBC Inside Out documentary and mentioned it positively on its website, because it had encouraged more witnesses to come forward.
I was also impressed with the appeal for information which was sensitive and contained contact information for access to support:
as well as comment on the devastating effects of sexual abuse by an independent psychotherapist.
This compares favourably to the approach of North Yorkshire Police.
In contrast to the Durham website articles, the North Yorkshire appeal for information is here:
https://www.northyorkshire.police.uk/13009.
North Yorkshire Police refused to appear on camera for Inside Out. Although, in fact, Real Whitby has made a lot of new witnesses available to North Yorkshire Police, Deputy Chief Constable Tim Madgwick has threatened to arrest me if I continued to comment on North Yorkshire Police operations. How this can be a useful part of Deputy Chief Constable Madgwick’s media strategy to assist the Police to investigate crime defeats me, but no doubt someone at North Yorkshire Police Force Headquarters has an explanation for this.
Real Whitby has consistently alleged that Savile operated in Scarborough and Whitby in a paedophile-ring with Peter Jaconelli, who was well known locally to be a paedophile, but was left alone by the Police because of his influence as a senior Conservative politician, Mayor and prominent local businessman. Consequently, North Yorkshire Police failed to arrest Jaconelli, (Britain’s most successful paedophile who operated untroubled by the police for all of his adult life) which would surely have led them to Savile, (Britain’s most prolific paedophile and rapist).
When Operation Yewtree first started investigating Jimmy Savile, North Yorkshire Police issued a statement, “When the allegations surrounding Jimmy Savile were publicised, we carried out extensive searches of force records which did not reveal a local connection”, denying that Savile had anything to do with North Yorkshire. In fact, he had lived in Scarborough since 1960 and had attended a youth event organised by North Yorkshire Police at Selby Abbey in 2008, where he shared a platform with the Chief Constable, while he was simultaneously being investigated for multiple sexual offences by Surrey and Sussex Police. They even drove him around in his own North Yorkshire Police Squad Car.
Following evidence from Real Whitby to the IPCC, North Yorkshire Police was directed to conduct a second Savile investigation, which was conducted by Assistant Chief Constable Sue Cross, who simply ignored witness evidence and exonerated North Yorkshire Police from any responsibility for its failure to arrest Savile or Jaconelli. More information here:
https://www.real-whitby.co.uk/operation-yewtree-cross-report
and here:
https://www.real-whitby.co.uk/savile-deleted-intelligence-reports
As a result of the BBC Inside Out documentary covering the reports published by Real Whitby concerning Savile Associate Councillor, Mayor and Alderman Peter Jaconelli (deceased) and the failure of North Yorkshire Police to arrest him, and evidence from Real Whitby to HM Inspector of Constabulary Drusilla Sharpling, North Yorkshire Police was forced to open up its investigation FOR THE THIRD TIME – effectively quashing the Cross report as a whitewash.
In his statement to Scarborough Borough Council on the 28th of February 2014, Leader of Scarborough Borough Council Councillor Fox indicated that he had “this week received confirmation from the police that they expect their investigations to be concluded shortly.”:
That was over a month ago. When the report is released, Real Whitby will make it available to our readers, along with incisive analysis. meanwhile, a Formal Complaint against Councillor Tom Fox for providing utter disinformation to the Council has been acknowledged, though no further information has been forthcoming regarding the investigation of the Complaint. The “confirmation from the police” that Councillor Tom Fox claims to have received has been requested under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act, with a response due on Wednesday 2nd April 2014.
Nigel Ward
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