BBC entertainer Jimmy Savile, who was investigated by British police in the 1980s due to allegations of indecent assault , may have abused up to 300 victims who have come forward since abuse accusations came out against the late entertainer, police said.
The announcement of the Savile sex scandal is engrossing one of Britain’s most esteemed news organizations, and the scandal does not seem to be simmering but instead boiling over.
BBC has been bombarded with accusations of covering up the Savile sex scandal, Reuters reported . In one day alone, the number of victims released by the police has increased from 200 to 300.
Thus far, officers have interviewed 130 of the potential 300 victims, though it is expected even more victims will come out, the Associated Press reports .
Savile was a famed children television presenter who is accused of leveraging his fame to pressure teens into having sex with him in his car, in his camper van, and in dressing rooms around the BBC studio.
The amount of abuse allegations reported has astonished commanders, including Scotland Yard Commander Peter Spindler:
“It is quite staggering, the number of women … and this is primarily women, we have only got two men in the system so far.”
According to Spindler, Savile, who died at 84 last October, was “undoubtedly” one of Britain’s worst sex offenders in recent history.
A leading children’s charity in Britain, NSPCC, has received 60 percent more calls concerning instances of abuse. He was known for sexually abusing disabled children while raising money in hospitals.
The scandal has crossed seas as the incoming chief for the New York Times, Mark Thompson, is accused of covering up the scandal at BBC while director-general of the network since 2004 until last month. Thompson insists he never met Savile.
Savile, who was on the air for decades, was championed for his philanthropic actions. He received a papal knighthood from the Vatican and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his charitable actions.