Jimmy Saville - Netflix

[Vanderpump]

How the hell did this man get away with it?

@TheWeeDonkey

I've only watched the first one so far, it's a very intense watch isn't it. I remember when it all came out and a colleague of mine defending him and saying the survivors were gold diggers and attention seekers! I was quite stunned by her reaction because I remember thinking there wasn't something right about him.

It's interesting how all these celebrities who are predators are so blatant. Thinking about him joking about court cases, Bill Cosby joking about magic pills, people knew about Harvey Weinstein for decades too. Larry Nassar would abuse girls in front of their parents and tell them it was therapy.

I think this is a good demonstration of how predators groom "gatekeepers" before they start on their victims. Very enlightening.

And how could I forget R Kelly "Age ain't nothing but a number"

@HermioneWeasley

You wonder how it happened when, off the top of my head, the following have happened in the last couple of years in plain view:

• Asda issued materials to primary schools using the slogan “love has no age” and promoting a book which normalises child sexual abuse
• a local library hired a performer wearing a dildo to “entertain” children
• lots of local libraries hire drag queens whose main acts have adult content which is easily searchable online, let them wear clothes that reveal their genitals and in one case, worse a skirt with no underwear and flashed the children
• lobbying groups are arguing that children have capacity to consent to life changing medical procedures, which coincidentally leave them with pre pubescent bodies,
• lobbying groups have enabled adult males to get access to girls’ changing and sleeping areas.
• prominent individuals say that little girls are rude if they stare at adult men’s genitals when those adult males are naked in their changing rooms.

Nothing is better, it’s still happening in plain sight and women who object are still monstered, bullied and silenced.

Very true sadly

I found an interview in which he explicitly says he hates children and has no interest in charity. You would have thought that might cause a bit of controversy..but no.

I wonder if Mumsnet feels any regret or shame about banning LangCleg... she knew exactly what she was talking about.

I reported him to the West Yorkshire Police 3 times. I was accused of harassment and told they would give him my parents address if I didn't shut up. The BBC, including Ester Ranzen and the director general did not reply. I was listed as a vexatious complainant and blocked. That is how he got away with it.

OMG @user75 - I'm so sorry you weren't listened to. Hope you're able to heal.

Just awful user75. I feel so angry that he got away with it within his lifetime. Sorry you had to endure that.

I grew up near Leeds in the 80's-90's I remember there was a culture of jail bait and blaming girls for looking older. I can totally see how it happened. I imagine a lot of people knew what he and other privileged rich men were upto. Awful awful man.

A lot of people get cross that he died before it all came out and the victims never got justice but I think it would have been another Michael Jackson situation with his expensive legal team denying everything and it being difficult to find forensic type evidence .the programme showed lots of victims had made reports which weren't taken seriously or were dealt with inappropriately . So even if charged and he would've been humiliated (possibly?) and lost national treasure status while alive but his lawyers and his arrogance would've kept an element of doubt and scared others from coming forward so I don't think there would have been justice while he was alive sadly

@user75

I reported him to the West Yorkshire Police 3 times. I was accused of harassment and told they would give him my parents address if I didn't shut up. The BBC, including Ester Ranzen and the director general did not reply. I was listed as a vexatious complainant and blocked. That is how he got away with it.

That’s disgusting.

He got away with it because he had the element of respectability due to his connections. This would all have disappeared when he was revealed as a child abuser. The victims thought they were the only ones, even when the police did investigate they were not told that they were not alone. I think there would still have been an avalanche of victims if he was charged when alive. As @user75 states she had tried to report already.

@Rhannion langcleg? What happened?

I'm so sorry @user75. What an evil disgusting man, I think all his charitable work was a cover for his true motives. He was a very cunning person who knew if he created himself as a nation treasure, he could get away with anything. Everything in plain sight. He groomed Margaret Thatcher, the Royal family, Yorkshire Police, the BBC and even the Pope, and that's how he got away with it.

Why has there not been a large scale investigation into the way that reports were not taken seriously? Prosecutions of police officers? I think there was an enquiry of sorts but the conclusion was that nothing was found to suggest officers were negligent. Clearly they were negligent. For a start, they shouldn’t have been attending a Friday morning club wirh JS and his pals.

My OH used to have quite a high powered job. The person he took over from kept the police sweet by giving them presents, favours and inviting them to dinner. I was appalled. It still happens. The police should be totally impartial, but they aren’t.

Have just finished watching this, it's so disturbing and distressing. The part where a patient drew a picture of him as a monster and he says 'what have I ever done to you?' And the patient says 'everything' just broke my heart.

I think things have changed a bit, generally I think people are less naïve and trusting. When I was young child abusers seemed to be accepted or minimised. Between the ages of 9-13 I can think of 3 local men (shop owner, teacher and scout leader) who were all child abusers. One ended up in jail and nothing happened to the other two.

If I said anything about these men when I was a child I was told to stop being silly.

The fact the JS was so blatant is sickening as is the fact he got away with it.

I have known two people who turned out to be child abusers. One a solicitor. The other in charge of a children’s home. They both got their comeuppance eventually but the damage they did over the many years that their accusers weren’t believed is horrific.

We are watching it at the moment. Hideous stuff, but also, weirdly, a big part of my childhood with Jim'll fix it, and all those 80s and 90s programmes. Awful.

Hope he rots in hell. Felt sick all evening after watching that yesterday, had to throw away my dinner.

@HermioneWeasley

You wonder how it happened when, off the top of my head, the following have happened in the last couple of years in plain view:

• Asda issued materials to primary schools using the slogan “love has no age” and promoting a book which normalises child sexual abuse
• a local library hired a performer wearing a dildo to “entertain” children
• lots of local libraries hire drag queens whose main acts have adult content which is easily searchable online, let them wear clothes that reveal their genitals and in one case, worse a skirt with no underwear and flashed the children
• lobbying groups are arguing that children have capacity to consent to life changing medical procedures, which coincidentally leave them with pre pubescent bodies,
• lobbying groups have enabled adult males to get access to girls’ changing and sleeping areas.
• prominent individuals say that little girls are rude if they stare at adult men’s genitals when those adult males are naked in their changing rooms.

Nothing is better, it’s still happening in plain sight and women who object are still monstered, bullied and silenced.

Hear hear!

Different times. There were few safeguards in place to protect children from predatory people like Savile. No mobile phones to gain physical evidence and no internet which would’ve allowed his victims to realise the scale of his abuse. Adults had a lot of power over children and a famous adult was very powerful. And Savile was an extremely good networker: friends in politics, tv, press, police, medicine, royalty etc, he was untouchable. His charity work secured his access to those most vulnerable. His wealth meant he could easily afford the best lawyers which intimidated a lot of people. It’s sickening to think he was nearly caught in the 2000s but he slipped through the net.

I gave evidence at the Dane Janet Smith review and felt listened to but when I again complained re the latest Steve Coogan starring as Jimmy Savile film, I was told I remained barred by the BBC.

Can you write a letter to the papers setting this out?
Go on the radio? It’s disgraceful.

No one is interested. I am one of hundreds. Jimmy Savile is still big business - the BBC now protects their position - they own the archive and will profit from this latest round of interest. To hell with re traumatising his victims. Murders and perverts are a huge industry and make a lot of money for film makers/publishers etc. There is literally no interest in the grim pedestrian reality of the truth and the middle aged and older victims.

@user75 I'm so sorry. I did think of all the people who have been abused and how you must feel when you open Netflix etc. I don't think they should promote it in the way they do. It's pretty unavoidable when you open the app just now. The behaviour you describe from the BBC is despicable.

[quote Mumteedum]@user75 I'm so sorry. I did think of all the people who have been abused and how you must feel when you open Netflix etc. I don't think they should promote it in the way they do. It's pretty unavoidable when you open the app just now. The behaviour you describe from the BBC is despicable. [/quote]
I agree.