Encounter with Jimmy Saville on school trip - who do I tell?

[Justalittlebitblondie]

I need your hive brains! I had an encounter with Jimmy Saville when I was nine - nothing as bad is could have been - hugging, stroking my hair and telling me how beautiful I was. I was completely freaked out and remember recoiling. It was on an outdoor activity trip organised by the school (state). The teachers saw, laughed and I was teased about it later by them. I have decided to tell the Council as feel need to have reported it. They are not interested as it is over 12 months ago - so who do I tell?

Had anyone said that it doesn't matter?

People have said that reporting it won't have any impact on the man, who's dead, or the teachers (who are either retired or dead).

Lessons have been learned about safeguarding now, so reporting, while it might be something that OP needs to do for her own mental health, is not going to have any practical impact.

And yes, counselling might well be helpful. I'm sure the memory is very disturbing, especially given what we know now.

What do you hope to achieve if you do report it ?

I’m sorry this happened to you OP. Contact the Police force in the area it happened and ask for advice. They may still take details and make a record. Others may have reported abuse at the place it happened or raised concerns over safeguarding. There may be other cases in progress and your information may add to this. Your experience is as valid as anyone else’s. Please take advice from Police xx

I agree with you @YellowDots I’m also horrified by this.

Wishing you well OP in whatever you decide is the right thing to do for yourself.

Well, people have said

Saville is long dead and in any event what you describe wouldn't have led to anything

What do you hope to achieve by reporting it to the council etc. Presumably the teachers have since retired. I cant see what the point would be now.

As distressing as it was, what law did he break?
What are you hoping to achieve?
Yew tree was years ago, you had ample opportunity to speak up then.

You can tell whoever you want but nothing will happen. A dead person can’t be prosecuted*

I doubt that even if it happened now it wouldn’t meet the threshold of needing any action taking - a hug, stroking hair and telling someone she’s beautiful.

Why do you need to tell anyone at all? You’ve highlighted no law broken. What’s to be gained?

I’m sorry this happened, but what were you expecting the Council to do?

I think this post meant that current teachers might read this and it may make them be more aware of/alert to inappropriate behaviour now.

No point telling the BBC or Police - they knew what he was doing at the time and did nothing.

wow, the 'what do you hope to achieve?' responses are just bitchiness personified. What on earth makes you think the OP wants to 'achieve' anything? Her experience should be added to his list of crimes, be he dead or not
People should be aware of casual and inappropriate behaviour, kids should know what to report.
I do hope that none of your kids end up abused and only feel they can report it decades later.

And is it any wonder people are reluctant to report historical abuse with the attitudes on this thread? Really awful.

I am not sure the police can talk to Saville about the event any more... unless they have a medium to hand

Quite. Its about victims being heard having been dismissed and silenced at the time - just as the teachers in this situation dismissed and silenced a child being fondled by an adult man in full view. People now dismiss it as "oh that is how it used to be" - it wasn't normal then either, but it was even harder for victims to be heard.

"Lessons have been learned" - and yet it still happens, for all the improvements in safeguarding practice. Predators are experts in using any avenue and the most powerful weapon they have is the complacency of everyone else and the adoption of roles or personas which we are not allowed to question.

Its irrelevant that he is dead, its not about him. Its about his victims.

Oh OP, how horrible.

It must be haunting to realise you were hugged and stroked by such a monstrous and dangerous man. You were uncomfortable when it happened, but to then find out what he was doing to other children…. The ‘what if’s, the feeling of a near miss…

I am sorry this happened to you.

I know nothing of the technicalities of reporting but your feelings demonstrate that the ripples of abuse are far reaching.

That's not what I meant. I meant a teacher reading this now, today.
This post might highlight the need for teachers (and others in charge of children) to be vigilant against creepy behaviour and not be dismissive or minimilise it as 'being friendly' etc

If you are still ruminating on it, I would tell a counsellor, for your own MH. He's dead. No-one is going to do anything about it, I'm sorry. Wish you well.

https://napac.org.uk/

I wonder if this charity might be able to help support you, and/or signpost to local charities who can help as well. Wishing you well.

Agree.

The responses on here are strangely trivialising

Honestly op the best thing you can do is find a trauma counsellor. You can report to the police if you like but I would guess this incident was in the 70's or 80's based on when Saville was actively around children as a celebrity. The perpetrator is dead and the teachers who teased you are likely either very elderly or also dead. You can of course report it to the authorities but do you just want to report it to someone or do you want some kind of action to be taken as that is not likely to happen so may make you feel worse. I hope you can find peace regardless of what you choose to do

OP you have a right to be heard. I am appalled by the tone of some of the responses you have received here. This happened to you and it is right for that to be acknowledged.

Back then, anything bad happening to girls was routinely brushed off. You have every right to be upset and angry. Angry with JS, angry with the teachers. It matters not that these people are retired or dead, you have an absolute right to your feelings.

Incidentally, I went on a school residential trip as an 11 year old. Boys from another school groped us. When we reported this to out teachers we were ridiculed. They also told us it was our fault for wearing make up (1980s blue mascara) to a junior disco. I have only recently stsrted to wear a small amount of make up now in my 50s. And I never again reported any assault that happened to me because I thought I would be laughed at again. These things that happen to you in childhood shape you.

Please do phone the NSPCC. I can guarantee you will be listened to. It is important that people know whst JS did. He was a prolific and serious offender and just because he was so prolific that doesn't mean there is a threshold below which his offences didn't matter.

I cannot express how disgusted I am with some of these responses. Girls are being groomed, catcalled and assaulted every day. Would you respond like this to your own daughters if they confided in you?

What the hell am I reading ? The responses on this thread are unbelievably minimising! I'm sorry this happened OP.

I think some counselling would be really helpful OP. If you aren’t able to pay got it, speak to your GP - it will be a wait but you should be able to access some.

And do report also. The NSPCC sounds like a good place where you’d get a sympathetic hearing.

It’s important for you this is recorded, so it’s important full stop.

I'm guessing that you're not a teacher.

Safeguarding is MASSIVE in schools now. Seriously, there isn't a teacher on this board who needs to read this OP to change their attitude and response to such an event. There really isn't. And OP reporting it (which I recognise that she might need to do for her own reasons) will also not make any difference to what would happen in a similar situation now. Those lessons have already been learned.

The education and children's organisations environment is a whole different world from what it was on the days of Savile.

Again though, I reiterate my sympathy for OP. That must be a very disturbing memory, and I'd advise some talking therapy.

But it wasn't just "back then", this shit still happens to girls daily in schools. This thread's complacence and minimising is shocking - straight from "oh it was normal back then" to "it doesn't happen now" but both are wrong.

I can't remember the exact numbers but they equate to a girl being raped every day in a British school. Girls are groped, harassed and sexually bullied daily and most don't even report it for exactly the reasons girls didn't report Saville - because they are not believed, their complaints are minimised, the girl will be the one removed from the situation not the predatory boy. There is still concern for school reputation first.

Anyone who thinks this isn't a problem any more or isn't much of a problem or "if it is, it doesn't happen in my school" should spend five minutes on "everyone invited" https://www.everyonesinvited.uk/.

OP: That site may be a place for you to write down your experiences as part of dealing with the experience.

I mean this genuinely and not dismissively, but do you know what you are hoping to achieve? Then we might be able to signpost a bit more effectively.

Are you looking to explore your feelings? An apology? Compensation? Acknowledgement?

Both the incident itself and the reaction of the teachers are part of a bigger picture - this account of the teachers' reactions could help to corroborate some other account from another child.

Even if they don't immediately link to anything from the same school, they're relevant in themselves and you deserve to have this recognised as something that was wrong.

Not true, thats an unhelpful and ignorant thing to say.
OP you can still report this as it may be a visit or occasion that OP Yew Tree weren't aware of. You know hes dead and gone but doesnt mean you need to stay quiet about it, you can always speak to a professional or officer about it then get some closure on it if thats what you need to feel.