Savile set to be ‘one of the most serious predators ever’

Jimmy Savile is set to become known as “one of the most serious predatory paedophiles in criminal history,” BBC presenter Jeremy Vine has predicted.

Mr Vine said that he had worked for the BBC for 25 years, including on the Newsnight programme.

He was speaking at Cheltenham Literature Festival and asked by one of his audience: “If you had been in charge of Newsnight last year what would you have done with the Jimmy Savile story?”

Mr Vine replied “This is a complete and utter nightmare.

“The fact that a person was using his BBC prestige and maybe even BBC dressing rooms to attack young children I find completely disgusting as a father of two young daughters.

“I cannot believe that it happened for such a sustained period that we may be looking at one of the most serious predatory paedophiles in criminal history — and he was on our doorstep. I find it disgusting.

“The Newsnight issue is very, very difficult. If the material they shelved was the same material that ITV put out that is very serious — but I am not sure it was.

“The big story is if there was any kind of link up between the hagiographies on BBC 1 and the exposés on BBC 2 ... But I don’t think anyone had on their desk on one hand the hagiographies and on the other the exposé.

“If that happened it is an absolute scandal but I honestly don’t believe that has happened — but they need to find out.

“I don’t think the editor took the decision not to run it for whatever reason ... but it now looks unfortunately as if they didn’t run the exposé because they were running the tributes and that is why it is such a toxic thing.”

The veteran presenter made the prediction as culture secretary Maria Miller was forced to deny she was prejudging a BBC inquiry into Savile, after she inadvertently accused the corporation of “inappropriately” pulling a Newsnight film into sex abuse claims against the late DJ and broadcaster.

Aides said that Miller got her words wrong as she made a statement to the House of Commons about investigations being undertaken by the BBC.

A printed version of the speech said that one of the BBC reviews would look into “allegations that an item on Savile was inappropriately pulled from Newsnight”, but the secretary of state in fact told MPs it would address “allegations with regards to the item on Savile which was inappropriately pulled from Newsnight”.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport said Miller had no detailed knowledge of the decision to pull the package, which was dropped last year shortly before the broadcast of BBC tributes to the former presenter of Top of the Pops and Jim’ll Fix It.

“The secretary of state has not prejudged the outcome of the BBC’s investigation into the pulling of a Newsnight item on Savile,” a spokesman said.

“As the secretary of state made clear in the House, it is for the BBC, not ministers, to investigate these allegations.”

Miller later apologised in a message on Twitter, saying: “Sorry if Savile statement unclear. Referring to ‘allegations’ that Newsnight item was pulled inappropriately. Not prejudging BBC inquiry.”

Earlier yesterday another BBC household name was drawn into the scandal.

Dave Lee Travis was said to have fondled two women, one as young as 17, when they came to help him on his Radio One show back in the 1970s and 1980s.

The DJ, who said he “categorically denies” the allegations, was said to have put his hand up the skirt of one woman and “jiggled the breasts” of the other.