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Jimmy Savile: Police dealing with alleged abuse on an unprecedented scale

The TV man has also been described as possibly “one of the most prolific sex offenders the NSPCC has ever come across.”

THE POLICE CHIEF in charge of the investigation into allegations made against Jimmy Savile has said his team are dealing with “alleged abuse on an unprecedented scale”.

Scotland Yard also revealed that it would be investigating some people who are still alive but gave no further details.

Commander Peter Spindler’s remarks came as the Metropolitan Police formally moved the enquiry from an assessment to a formal criminal investigation.

Operation Yewtree will examine all alleged sexual exploitation by the late BBC presenter, as well as a number of others.

Officers have been gathering information over the past two weeks and say they now have about 400 leads. More than 200 potential victims have also been identified.

“As we have said from the outset, our work was never going to take us into a police investigation into Jimmy Savile. What we have established in the last two weeks is that there are lines of inquiry involving living people that require formal investigation,” London police said in a statement.

Spindler continued, “The public’s response to this issue has been astounding. We are dealing with alleged abuse on an unprecedented scale. The profile of this operation has empowered a staggering number of victims to come forward to report the sexual exploitation which occurred during their childhood.

“I am pleased that victims feel confident enough to speak out about the abuse they suffered and would like to reassure the public that we take all these cases very seriously and they will be investigated with the utmost sensitivity.”

Detectives acknowledged the appointment of Dame Janet Smith to lead the BBC-commissioned review into the matter and advised the broadcaster that it could begin to examine the issues in parallel with the police investigation.

According to Spindler, a protocol will be developed to ensure any future potential criminal action is not jeopardised.

Inquiries into Savile’s relationship with Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Broadmoor and Leeds General Infirmary are also due to begin.

The NSPCC said today that it has referred 136 calls directly relating to the case to the police so far. Head of the agency’s helpline Peter Watt said it is now looking possible that the TV man was “one of the most prolific sex offenders the NSPCC has ever come across.”

Savile was the presenter of programmes including Top of the Pops and Jim’ll Fix it. He died on 29 October 2011, aged 84. An ITV documentary aired earlier this month sparked the investigation as it detailed claims from five women that the DJ and presenter sexually abused them on BBC premises when they were teenagers.

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54 Comments
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    Mute David Cotter
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    Jan 29th 2025, 6:25 AM

    “Graduates from trinity are counted first”
    What a line..this farce of an election really does insure a certain order and political class stay in the gravy train….80k + expenses for a bit of par time work..
    Shameful sh1€…

    345
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    Mute Jonn
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    Jan 29th 2025, 6:31 AM

    @David Cotter:
    I don’t care who gets in as long as Kitty Zapota doesn’t reclaim her seat on the gravy train, the entitlement is strong in that one!

    248
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    Mute Emily Dalton
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    Jan 29th 2025, 1:14 PM

    @David Cotter: I think it is because it has the smallest electorate of the university constituencies.

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    Mute Daniel Gilroy
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    Jan 29th 2025, 3:59 PM

    @David Cotter: True, so much for our egalitarian, constitutional republic.

    13
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    Mute honey badger
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    Jan 29th 2025, 7:14 AM

    Lost the confidence of your local electorate? Lost your seat? Want to stay in the game on 80k + expenses? It’s the best paying political consolation prize in town!
    Also, keep Conor Murphy out.

    181
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    Mute brendan hackett
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    Jan 29th 2025, 6:49 AM

    We had our chance to get rid of the Seanad in 2013, but we blew it, just to have a dig at Enda Kenny.

    192
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    Mute Jonn
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    Jan 29th 2025, 6:51 AM

    @brendan hackett:
    Don’t remind me!

    61
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    Mute David Cotter
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    Jan 29th 2025, 7:38 AM

    @brendan hackett: it was a fiddle Brendan..it was worded weirdly on the ballot. People had no clue why was being asked

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    Mute Mindful Muinteoir
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    Jan 29th 2025, 8:03 AM

    @brendan hackett: Sorry now! We do not have a municiple government in this country. We have the most centralised government in Europe as it is. To centralise it even more would be dangerous. The Seanad served us well in the last few years haulting ill conceived legislation that the Dail failed to sufficiently scrutinise.

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    Mute Sean Hayes
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    Jan 29th 2025, 8:16 AM

    @David Cotter: No it wasn’t. Was very clear but people voted No to have a dig at Enda. If you couldn’t understand it maybe you shouldn’t e let vote on the Senate- best left to the educated.

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    Mute David Cotter
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    Jan 29th 2025, 8:24 AM

    @Sean Hayes: spoken like a true graduate that is allowed to vote Not us plebs

    36
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    Mute Sean Hayes
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    Jan 29th 2025, 8:26 AM

    @David Cotter: I voted to abolish it

    27
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    Mute David Cotter
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    Jan 29th 2025, 8:26 AM

    @Sean Hayes: Bty Sean e let is not a word…..educated me arse

    18
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    Mute Me Me
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    Jan 29th 2025, 12:09 PM

    @brendan hackett: You don’t improve democracy by reducing it. The Seanad needs to be improved, not eliminated.

    19
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    Mute Sean Hayes
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    Jan 29th 2025, 2:51 PM

    @David Cotter: Nor is bty!!!

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    Mute Gary Kearney
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    Jan 29th 2025, 4:02 PM

    @Mindful Muinteoir: Correct and also very important changes were made to other bills as well as sending bills to the Dail. AS well as the work Senators do at committee.
    A two tier house works.

    6
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    Mute Gary Kearney
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    Jan 29th 2025, 4:03 PM

    @Me Me: Totally agree, some great work has been do e by its members.

    5
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    Mute Conor Kelly
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    Jan 29th 2025, 11:59 PM

    @Sean Hayes: I voted No but it was not to have a dig at Enda. It’s amazing what is attributed to hundreds of thousands of voters by someone who has absolutely no idea why anyone other than themselves (and perhaps a few others who shared thier reasons) voted any particular way.

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    Mute the don
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    Jan 29th 2025, 6:35 AM

    So their wages comes out of the taxes of only those entitled to vote. Hahaha

    75
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    Mute Ollie Fitzpatrick
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    Jan 29th 2025, 7:18 AM

    @Harry Paisley: Ceann Cách

    20
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    Mute Róisín Flemping-Bunt-Himmler the Citizen Journalist
    Favourite Róisín Flemping-Bunt-Himmler the Citizen Journalist
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    Jan 29th 2025, 7:06 PM

    @Ollie Fitzpatrick: he couldn’t fart without a :) or a lol after it.

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    Mute William Jennings
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    Jan 29th 2025, 7:45 PM

    @Harry Paisley: I guess it’s true what they say about Trinity graduates. You people really are elite snobs and don’t give a damn about the fact that you are wasting millions of taxpayer Euros in your farcical election. I’m paying the salary of someone that I don’t have the right to vote for. How the heck can you even justify that? Oh that’s right, you’re a Trinity graduate who thinks that they have a God-given right to more than the rest of us simply because you went to Trinity College. Shame on you.

    5
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    Mute Ronan Mc
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    Jan 29th 2025, 9:37 AM

    And we think walls for half a million are a waste of money….we only have ourselves to blame for having that this retirement home still in existence

    70
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    Mute Gary Kearney
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    Jan 29th 2025, 4:04 PM

    @Ronan Mc: If you think it is a retirement home, you have no understanding of how the government works!

    7
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    Mute Dan Murphy
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    Jan 29th 2025, 8:46 AM

    Please no Zappone just the sight of her makes me ill

    115
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    Mute Róisín Flemping-Bunt-Himmler the Citizen Journalist
    Favourite Róisín Flemping-Bunt-Himmler the Citizen Journalist
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    Jan 29th 2025, 7:03 PM

    @Dan Murphy: you know it will e fixed so that Zappone or Chu is given a seat.

    18
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    Mute Paddy C
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    Jan 29th 2025, 9:27 AM

    Another ball of money down the pan

    54
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    Mute Ed Brennan
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    Jan 29th 2025, 9:36 AM

    Another ‘trough’ being prepared, for the usual snouts.

    60
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    Mute colin G
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    Jan 29th 2025, 9:41 AM

    How does this undemocratic farce still exist??

    65
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    Mute Thesaltyurchin
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    Jan 29th 2025, 8:05 AM

    More nothing from the Irish political class. business as usual

    44
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    Mute Shelley Keary
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    Jan 29th 2025, 9:54 AM

    @Thesaltyurchin: you had your chance to join it in November

    16
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    Mute Tommy
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    Jan 29th 2025, 10:28 AM

    Seanad Eireann is the Circus House. Where the Taoiseach gets to nominate his nominees and they’ll make sure to implement the policy of the Government of the day

    41
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    Mute Gary Kearney
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    Jan 29th 2025, 4:05 PM

    @Tommy: That is not how the Seanad works at all.

    10
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    Mute Shelley Keary
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    Jan 29th 2025, 9:52 AM

    All four of my kids went to 3rd level college. Only one is allowed to vote in this farcical election

    38
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    Mute Dominic Leleu
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    Jan 29th 2025, 7:51 AM

    sure, a priority for our leader when the rest of the country is down

    28
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    Mute Sean Hayes
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    Jan 29th 2025, 8:18 AM

    @Dominic Leleu: Not a priority for government. FG tried to abolish it but voters said No

    28
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    Mute carol mullen
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    Jan 29th 2025, 8:49 AM

    The Irish equivalent of the “House of Lords” and the so called political left want to be part of this scam.Jesus wept.

    37
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    Mute Gary Kearney
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    Jan 29th 2025, 4:06 PM

    @carol mullen: Completely different in fact. Apart from it being the second chamber!

    6
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    Mute Damien Leahy
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    Jan 29th 2025, 12:20 PM

    I’m sure Stephen donnelly will get in after losing out on the general election.

    23
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    Mute Chris
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    Jan 29th 2025, 1:31 PM

    I hope no more that lady from halting site in Fabre Park Ballyfermot. Her “big family” from the area terrorising everyone with their antisocial behaviour.

    28
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    Mute 58liamo
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    Jan 29th 2025, 10:45 AM

    It cannot be coincidence that waste like this keeps emerging. Someone’s got to have their fingers in the till.

    21
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    Mute RIP
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    Jan 29th 2025, 2:51 PM

    Tom Clonan’s voice needs to continue being heard for those with Disabilities

    19
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    Mute reg morrisey
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    Jan 29th 2025, 8:49 AM

    Did anyone see the guy with the fez hat that’s running? Is that meant to be a joke?

    21
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    Mute Gary Kearney
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    Jan 29th 2025, 4:07 PM

    @reg morrisey: No, it was meant to get him noticed.
    And it worked as you noticed him!

    6
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    Mute Nigel Hayden
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    Jan 29th 2025, 4:12 PM

    @reg morrisey: Tommy Cooper

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    Mute Róisín Flemping-Bunt-Himmler the Citizen Journalist
    Favourite Róisín Flemping-Bunt-Himmler the Citizen Journalist
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    Jan 29th 2025, 11:10 PM

    @reg morrisey: Jack Mulcahy. As in Michael Mulcahy (FF). As in Mulcahy, publisher of The Phoenix (where you will not be able to read about the connection). As in Dynasty (non-Alexis Carrington version).

    1
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    Mute Me Me
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    Jan 29th 2025, 12:08 PM

    Everybody should have 2 votes, one for regional representation in the Dáil and one for sectoral representation (agriculture, business, education, transport etc.) in the Seanad.

    14
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    Mute Gary Kearney
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    Jan 29th 2025, 4:10 PM

    @Me Me: The problem with a fully elected second house is you get situations like in the US. With both houses controlled by one side. There is no other voice to be heard. No checks and balances.
    That is what the Seanad is for!
    If both houses were elected, it would be too easy to have total control.

    4
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    Mute Dave Barrett
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    Jan 29th 2025, 2:58 PM

    All lining up for the Gravy Train

    14
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    Mute Tom L
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    Jan 29th 2025, 1:27 PM

    Scam faux democracy, archaic and not for the plebs

    18
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    Mute Róisín Flemping-Bunt-Himmler the Citizen Journalist
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    Jan 29th 2025, 6:41 PM

    Zappone. Girlboss wagon. Nominated y Luke O’Neill and other luvvies. Take up arms if that brass necked yank bunt is elected.

    11
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    Mute Róisín Flemping-Bunt-Himmler the Citizen Journalist
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    Jan 29th 2025, 7:01 PM

    Why does it take a week to announce the winners? To fill out the ballot paprrs to make sure the right people wim. I wouldnt trust this election result if you paid me. Rotten sham.

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    Mute Paul Soup
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    Jan 29th 2025, 1:50 PM

    Ban vapes.

    2
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