Savile: West Yorkshire police release report

A report from West Yorkshire police finds there is no evidence to state they protected Jimmy Savile from arrest or prosecution

By Nicole Hamer |

11:50 10 May 2013

West Yorkshire police have published a report which finds there is ‘no evidence’ to show that the late Jimmy Savile was protected from arrest or prosecution by them.

It reads as: “In spite of the rumour and speculation surrounding this meeting, no evidence has been found of any police impropriety or misconduct.”

The review comes after police failings in the UK were picked up on.

The report did state though, that there was an “over-reliance on personal friendships” in regards to Savile and certain officers.

The West Yorkshire police report said there “mistakes” had occurred when dealing with information concerning Savile.

Reportedly the review also made clear that during periods Savile was regarded favourably by the general public.

Many accusations linked to Savile came to light following his death.

The West Yorkshire Police force stated there were “currently 76 crimes involving 68 victims committed in the West Yorkshire area relating to Savile", adding that these were not told to the police ahead of Savile’s death.

Savile, from Leeds, was well-known for hosting the TV show Jim’ll Fix It, which was aired during the mid-70’s through to the mid-90’s.

Operation Yewtree was set up to investigate claims of sex abuse. It is headed by the Metropolitan Police and was set up in October last year. It came about in light of the Jimmy Savile scandal.