SAVILE/JACONELLI: You Must Remember This . . .

SAVILE/JACONELLI: You Must Remember This . . .

• – an “In My View” article by NIGEL WARD, in appreciation of the contribution made by Britains’ leading investigative magazine Private Eye to our continuing efforts to achieve a just resolution in the matter of the unforgiveable predations of Jimmy SAVILE and Peter JACONELLI.

~~~~~

Regular readers will perhaps remember that it was Private Eye who first offered recognition to the North Yorks Enquirer team (who at that time were contributing to the Real Whitby Magazine) in regard to our allegations that Peter JACONELLI was a prolific paedophile who operated within a ring that included Jimmy SAVILE and others, in the Scarborough area.

To this day, neither Chief Constable Dave JONES of the North Yorkshire Police nor Scarborough Borough Council Leader Councillor Tom FOX has thanked us, or apologised. The implication is that they were not entirely pleased to have been offered assistance in the matter and would have preferred to let sleeping dogs lie.

But Private Eye continued to take an interest in the on-going North Yorks Enquirer coverage during the time that the latest North Yorkshire Police investigation – Operation Hibiscus – was in progress.

A follow-up article highlighted the fact that Scarborough charity H.O.P.E. (Healing Our Past Experiences) had amply vindicated our allegations. It also raised some questions the answers to which may shed some light on the reasons behind Scarborough Borough Council’s attempts to silence us.

The Eye was the first national publication to identify Scarborough as a uniquely important area of offending within SAVILE’s nationwide lifetime of debauchery, though this should always have been obvious to the North Yorkshire Police and Scarborough Borough Council from the well-known fact that Jimmy SAVILE maintained a home there for half a century. His close friendship with Peter JACONELLI was public and well-publicised; they hung out together.

It is now no longer a mere allegation but an established fact that Jimmy SAVILE offended in joint enterprise with “larger than life” local celebrity Peter JACONELLI, the former Scarborough Councillor, Mayor and Alderman (now belatedly stricken from the roll of honour,  like SAVILE, but otherwise beyond any form of accountability or censure) – and others.

The same cannot be said for those who protected them from prosecution by dissuading victims from formally pursuing complaints – and thus facilitating their continued offending. Some witnesses have even alleged that cash settlements were made, negotiated by serving Officers, who allegedly acted as go-betweens or ”bagmen”. It is of some considerable concern that Scarborough Borough Council now maintains (under the FOIA) that records of background checks ahead of the vote to accord Alderman status to Peter JACONELLI can no longer be located. And SBC is declining (also under the FOIA) to release the names of the Councillors who voted in favour of bestowing the honour.

Interesting, too, is the fact that the Eye has directly identified present SBC Council Leader Councillor Tom FOX – formerly, Acting Chief Inspector Tom FOX of the Scarborough Police – as the man who “seems to have been unaware of what was happening under his nose – even though half the town now claims to have known what was going on”. It was common knowledge throughout the Scarborough area since the mid-1960s. My own parents warned me against him in 1957 – when I was ten – and we did not even live in the Borough of Scarborough.

The 18th December 2014 Sky News report covering the North Yorkshire Police press release regarding the outcome of Operation Hibiscus offered a deeply damning perspective on the Force’s record, concluding with the information that the Independent Police Complaints Commission has made a   re-referral to North Yorkshire Police, regarding “misconduct issues”. This follows the announcement, three months ago, that a Detective Sergeant faces misconduct charges over how allegations against Jimmy Savile were handled by the Force. Yet NYP are still trying to characterise decades of policing failures as “organisational failures”.

Together, these developments signify that there is a great deal more to come out on the Scarborough paedophile-ring which operated virtually ‘in plain sight’ for so long – without ever (allegedly) coming to the attention of Acting Chief Inspector Tom FOX and his Scarborough Police colleagues.

And it is interesting to note the final paragraph of this Mirror report, commenting on an interview with a visibly uncomfortable Assistant Chief Constable Paul KENNEDY of the North Yorkshire Police – doing duty where Chief Constable Dave JONES should have been the man taking the heat for his Force’s failures:

“He admitted the force knew of rumours and speculation that there was a child abuse ring in Scarborough years ago and if it was discovered that any police officer at the time had failed to act properly, they would be investigated.”

This seems to suggest that the IPCC re-referral regarding historical “misconduct issues” may have homed in on the same line of enquiry as Private Eye and the North Yorks Enquirer – Scarborough Police.

Why has it taken so long?

However, investigative-journalists from some of the national dailies now have the scent of blood in their nostrils and are turning their attention to Scarborough and Whitby. The North Yorks Enquirer has been assisting them. They are keen to locate further victims and/or witnesses whose complaints were turned away, or settled privately, by Officers of the Scarborough Police at the time.

And now the Scarborough News has reported that:

“Yet while no evidence of a cover-up has come to light, North Yorkshire Police apologised after admitting it was told about abuse by Savile and Jaconelli three decades ago – and decided to do nothing about it.”

Three decades ago – the mid-1980s. And just whose watch must that have been on?

And when the Scarborough News publicised its article on its Facebook Page, many, many people commented on the common knowledge of the time, as well as personal experiences, leading to a general and well-founded reluctance to place any trust in the North Yorkshire Police.

In my view, there must now surely be no alternative to a full Public Inquiry, lead by a judge. This disgraceful cover-up – call it institutionalised denial, if the word cover-up offends you – is now bringing the North Yorkshire Police and Scarborough Borough Council into the most extreme and shameful disrepute. Without full accountability it will linger indefinitely and both institutions will remain forever tainted by the reek of cover-up and corruption. I think we all know where the buck stops.

~~~~~

Victims and/or witnesses who feel that, in the light of these recent disclosure, they may now, at last, have an opportunity to be heard – under our customary absolute guarantee of anonymity – are urged to contact the North Yorks Enquirer at the following email address, entering the identifying code-word TALLY-HO in the Subject line:

news@nyenquirer.uk

If you do contact the Enquirer, it is important to make it clear in your email that it is your preference to pass information only under the strictest anonymity, if such is the case, and giving your specific consent to us to pass your contact details ONLY to bona fide investigative-journalists who are NUJ members (bound by the Code of Conduct) working with national newspapers who have already provided binding assurances to the North Yorshire Enquirer that they will abide by our absolute guarantee of anonymity.

Of course, should you wish to come forward to offer truthful testimony on a ‘publish and be damned’ basis, so much the better.

The North Yorks Enquirer will continue to campaign for the recognition and vindication of all victims, and for some meaningful measure of accountability in regard to authority-figures who turned a blind eye to historical complaints against SAVILE, JACONELLI and their associates in crime.

Please remember, too, that the H.O.P.E charity (Healing Our Past Experiences) in Scarborough is ever ready to provide counselling and support and can be reached here:

Tel: 01723 381811

0r

Email : Office.HOPE@googlemail.com

or you can call into the Office at:

141 Falsgrave Road

SCARBOROUGH

North Yorkshire

YO12 5EY