Police Apologise to Jimmy Savile Victims
North Yorkshire police have admitted chances were missed to investigate alleged abuse
Police have apologised to victims of Jimmy Savile and one of his friends after concluding that officers missed opportunities to properly investigate the two men over alleged child abuse when they were still alive.
North Yorkshire Police made the apology after an investigation into the activities of Savile and the former mayor of Scarborough, Peter Jaconelli, concluded there would have been enough evidence to consider prosecuting them.
The force said 35 people had come forward with allegations about the pair.
A spokesman said 32 cases related to Jaconelli between 1958 and 1998, and included allegations of indecent assault, gross indecency and rape.
In the case of Savile, there were five reported offences, from 1979 to 1988, which ranged from sexual assault to rape. Two people claimed to be victims of both men.
The spokesman said: "Sufficient evidence has been uncovered to suggest that, had they been alive today, files would have been submitted for consideration by the Crown Prosecution Service regarding potential criminal charges against Peter Jaconelli and Jimmy Savile, relating to young people.
"However, it should be noted that it has not been possible to pursue those lines of inquiry which would have involved interviews with the individuals concerned, during which they may have disputed the allegations against them.''
North Yorkshire Police launched Operation Hibiscus in February after a BBC Inside Out programme prompted 35 people to come forward with reports of sexual abuse by Jaconelli and Savile.
Assistant Chief Constable Paul Kennedy said: "The findings of Operation Hibiscus clearly suggest that there would have been sufficient evidence from 35 individual victims for the Crown Prosecution Service to consider criminal charges against Peter Jaconelli and Jimmy Savile, had they been alive today.
"The available information indicates that, historically, the police missed opportunities to look into allegations against these men whilst they were still alive.
"Today, North Yorkshire Police apologises to the victims who made the brave decision to come forward during the past 18 months.'"
He said the investigation team has contacted the victims to explain the findings of the inquiry, and to ensure they have continued access to all available support as victims of sexual abuse.
In April, North Yorkshire Police voluntarily referred itself to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) in relation to the Savile/Jaconelli allegations.
It subsequently referred other related matters to the IPCC.
The commission has already announced that one serving detective sergeant has been served with a misconduct notice to advise him his conduct is subject to IPCC investigation.
The officer has been interviewed by an IPCC investigator and the inquiry is continuing.
The commission referred matters relating to whether records on Savile and his associates were properly disclosed to Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) and IPCC back to North Yorkshire Police for consideration.
In relation to this, Mr Kennedy said: "A comprehensive investigation into these matters has now been completed by the Professional Standards Department.
"It concluded that there was no evidence of misconduct but there was evidence of organisational failure, with a number of lessons to be learned which have now been rectified for the future.
"Whilst there were failings to report some relevant information to the HMIC and IPCC, there is no evidence to suggest North Yorkshire Police failed in its responsibility to support Operation Yewtree, the national investigation concerning Savile."