Police and BBC officials discuss Savile allegations

Police child abuse officers have met BBC officials to discuss allegations over the late TV presenter Jimmy Savile, Scotland Yard said last night.

The police said they were contacting all individuals who have made claims about the star, and should know how many victims there are some time next week.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “Officials from the BBC have met this morning at New Scotland Yard with senior officers from the Child Abuse Investigations Command and a representatives from NSPCC.

“We are now collating information gathered from a range of sources across the UK and will continue contacting individuals who have made allegations in relation to the late Jimmy Savile over the coming weekend.

“We do not expect to have a clear picture of exactly how many women may have suffered abuse until next week and want to allow time for victims to reflect on what they may have experienced.”

Scotland Yard is considering a number of claims, including a historic rape allegation referred to Met officers by Surrey Police.

Broadcaster Janet Street- Porter revealed that she was aware of rumours about the presenter’s alleged abuse of under-age girls when she worked at the BBC.

Street-Porter, who joined the BBC in 1987, said: “I was aware of the rumours about Jimmy Savile.

“I was also aware of rumours about other people. There was a culture, and it was a generational thing, in areas of light entertainment, behaviour was tolerated. I feel that the reason these women never came forward before was nobody would have believed them because Jimmy Savile raised so much money for charity and he used the money that he raised for charity as a bargaining power to buy silence from national newspapers.

“If ever there was a time when someone might have blown the whistle on him, he would threaten those newspapers and those reporters that that charity money would not go to those hospitals.”

Meanwhile, Freddie Starr has insisted he has “never touched an underage girl” and denied he was the ‘third man’ at a dressing room sex party allegedly hosted by Savile and Gary Glitter.