Historic Child Sex Abuse Allegations Uncover More Than 260 'Celebrity' Suspects
More Than 260 'Celebrity' Child Abuse Suspects Have Been Uncovered
Kathryn Snowdon— The Huffington Post UK/ PA
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Police probes into historic child sex abuse allegations have uncovered more than 260 celebrity suspects, with more victims coming forward every day.
A total of 1,433 suspects have been identified so far - an "unprecedented" level according to police, who are predicting about 116,000 reports by the end of 2015 - an increase of 71% from 2012.
Of these 1,433, 261 were classified as people of "public prominence", including 135 from the world of TV, film or radio, 76 politicians, 43 members of the music industry and seven sports people.
The figures were revealed by Operation Hydrant, a group set up by the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) to explore links between child sex abuse committed by "prominent public persons".
This includes politicians, celebrities and institutions.
Officers are in no doubt that disgraced DJ and television presenter, Jimmy Savile had an effect on their case load.
Police forces have been criticised in the past for not acting on allegations against Savile when he was alive.
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Police believe that the torrent of accusations against deceased presenter Jimmy Savile has had an effect on their operation
Norfolk Chief Constable Simon Bailey, the NPCC's lead on child protection, said: "The referrals are increasing on an almost daily basis. The numbers I refer to today are a snapshot in time."
Mr Bailey said that out of these 1,433 suspects, 666 relate to institutions and 357 separate institutions have been identified by the operation.
Mr Bailey said: "We are seeing an unprecedented increase in the number of reports that are coming forward.
"That has brought about a step change in the way the service has had to deal with it."
He added: "There is no doubt (Jimmy) Savile has had an effect on us. We are getting dealing with more and more allegations."
Jimmy Savile Abuse Timeline
(01 of24)
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Jimmy Savile in 1961 around the time he was working for Radio Luxembourg. He is at London Airport with Pan American stewardess Birgit Johansson with two gold discs; one is for American singer Elvis Presley for having sold one million copies of "It's Now or Never" in the UK, and the other is for Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker (credit:PA)
(02 of24)
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Cilla Black and Jimmy Savile before a Variety Club Luncheon at the Savoy Hotel. Taken in 1964, the year Savile became the first presenter of Top of the Pops (credit:PA)
(03 of24)
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Two women have come forward with allegations from the 1960s, one who was 14 and another who was a teenager when she claims Savile sexually abused her in Scarborough (credit:PA)
(04 of24)
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Savile in 1969 with Physically Handicapped and Able-Bodied (PHAB) member Erika Mentz from Germany and other PHAB members at a dance at Devonshire House (credit:PA)
(05 of24)
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1969 also saw Savile begin volunteering at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital for specialist spinal injuries. He would later be given a room there (credit:PA)
(06 of24)
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Jimmy Savile presenting a cheque to children on behalf of the NSPCC in 1969 (credit:PA)
(07 of24)
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The 1970s saw Savile start volunteering at Leeds General Infirmary and... (credit:PA)
(08 of24)
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... Broadmoor secure high-security psychiatric hospital. Allegations by former patients have been made against Savile although ex-workers have disputed the idea that he could have been left alone with anyone whilst working there (credit:PA)
(09 of24)
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The 70s also saw the start of Jim'll Fix It. Allegations from this period include Caroline Moore, a 13-year-old patient at Stoke Mandeville hospital in 1971, who says Savile "rammed his tongue" down her throat and another allegation accuses Savile of molesting a brain-damaged teenage patient at Leeds General Infirmary in 1972 (credit:PA)
(10 of24)
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The 1980s saw the continuation of Top of the Pops and Jim'll Fix It as Savile became a much loved household name. Two allegations relating to this time include one from a then-15-year-old girl (not pictured) who made a complaint of abuse by Savile in Lancashire. Pictured is 12-year-old Rebecca Heap (credit:PA)
(11 of24)
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Savile at the Stoke Mandeville hospital with injured children from Beirut in 1987 (credit:PA)
(12 of24)
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Savile was knighted in 1990 and continued his charity work throughout the decade (credit:PA)
(13 of24)
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Savile was questioned in 2007 by police about allegations of sexual abuse but the Crown Prosecution service says there is not enough evidence to warrant a prosecution (credit:PA)
(14 of24)
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A 2008 police report into abuse at the Haut de Garenne children's home in Jersey names Savile, although this is never made public (credit:PA)
(15 of24)
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Savile re-united with his Jim'll Fix It chair in 2009. The previous year Sussex police received a complaint of sexual assault but went on to say the victim was "unwilling to co-operate in any investigation" (credit:PA)
(16 of24)
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Jimmy Savile is found dead at the age of 84 in October 2011. He is buried in Scarborough (credit:PA)
(17 of24)
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In December 2011 the BBC drop an investigation by Newsnight into the allegations of sexual abuse by Jimmy Savile. Three tribute programmes are aired instead (credit:PA)
(18 of24)
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ITV airs a documentary, 'Exposure, the Other Side of Jimmy Savile', in which a number of women claim they were abused by Savile as youngsters, including Karin Ward (pictured) (credit:ITV)
(19 of24)
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Within days of the documentary, many more allegations surface. By the 9 October Peter Spindler of the Metropolitan Police tells the BBC: "It is quite clear from what women are telling us that Savile was a predatory sex offender" (credit:PA)
(20 of24)
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11 October 2012 and George Entwistle, Director General of the BBC, asks journalists why the Newsnight programme was dropped as police from Tayside, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and North Yorkshire police say they are investigating allegations going back to 1959 (credit:PA)
(21 of24)
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12 October and police reveal they have 340 potential lines of inquiry (credit:PA)
(22 of24)
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15 October sees a man come forward alleging that Savile abused him when he was a nine-year-old boyscout (credit:PA)
(23 of24)
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Savile's family removed his headstone from his grave and broke it up in the wake of the furore (credit:PA)
Jimmy Savile sexually abuses transgender man(24 of24)
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A transgender man comes forward alleging that Jimmy Savile 'stuck his hand up his nightdress' while he was a 17-year-old teenage girl at Broadmoor in the 1970's. More here http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/10/15/jimmy-savile-timeline-abuse-allegations_n_1966426.html?1350304573#slide=1641388 (credit:PA)
Out of the 1,433 suspects identified so far, 216 are dead.
Of the 357 different institutions which have been identified by the operation, 154 are schools, 75 children's homes, 40 religious institutions.
It also includes 14 medical establishments, 11 are institutions in communities, nine prisons, nine sports venues and 28 other institutions including military groups and guest houses.
Another 17 institutions are classified as unknown.
Mr Bailey said there is no figure for the number of victims, but said it will run into the thousands.
He said: "These figures raise the question, is more abuse being perpetrated?
"I don't have the evidence at this moment in time to prove this one way or another."
But he said the internet is being "abused", adding: "I can't help but think more abuse is being perpetuated.
"More research is needed to prove this one way or another."
Police confirmed that a force-by-force breakdown of Hydrant figures will not be made available and no names of suspects on the Hydrant system will be released.
The figures are taken from police forces in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The data relates to reports of abuse, or investigations of abuse, which police forces were dealing with in the summer of 2014.