Investigators say men, women, boys and girls were among victims, and incidents included three rapes© KeystoneJimmy Savile
Jimmy Savile's victims at Leeds general infirmary ranged from five to 75 in age and included men, women, boys and girls, an inquiry has found.
A wide-ranging investigation carried out at 28 NHS trusts found widespread abuse by the serial sexual predator at Broadmoor and Leeds general infirmary, both places where Savile had long associations.
The Department of Health (DoH) apologised on Thursday for the "wholly inadequate procedures" that allowed the former BBC DJ to hold a managerial position at the high-security hospital Broadmoor.
Una O'Brien, permanent secretary at the DoH, described the reports as shocking. She apologised for the inadequate processes that enabled Savile to occupy a managerial role at Broadmoor in 1988.
"The DoH accepts that the procedures in 1988 were wholly inadequate for checking whether Jimmy Savile was a suitable person to be given a managerial role," she said.
At Broadmoor, with which Savile had an association from 1968 for three decades and a managerial role from 1988, there were allegations made by 11 people, six of them patients, two staff and three minors. Two were male. Investigators believe this to be an "underestimate of the true picture". Patients were strongly discouraged from reporting at the time, and carry that legacy now, said the report.
The investigation concluded that at least five, possibly six, had been sexually assaulted, but were unable to speak in detail to the other five.
Savile had keys to the high-security hospital, accommodation and unrestricted access due to his relationship with the medical superintendent who hoped his fame would improve public perception of the hospital. He stopped visiting when a new security system was introduced in 2004.
Comment: "Wholly inadequate procedures" does not even begin to describe it.
What sort of society do we live in, in which a psychopathic, depraved monster is given access to the most vulnerable all because of his celebrity status and connections with power? What does this say about such spheres of power?
If this went on for decades and is only coming to light after the death of Savile, how many more similar monsters are currently free to abuse as much as they like from their positions as members of the elite? If this is the tip of the iceberg, how deep does the institutional corruption go?