Operation Countryman II (7): Jaconelli and Savile

Operation Countryman II (7):  Jaconelli and Savile 

• More witnesses come forward alleging a cover up by North Yorkshire Police and Scarborough Council

For some time, Real Whitby has been investigating the activities of Jimmy Savile in Scarborough and has alleged that the Mayor of Scarborough, the then Councillor and Alderman Peter Jaconelli (deceased) led a paedophile ring there involving Savile and others.

To our knowledge, two witnesses had come forward with evidence of Jaconelli’s offending:

Witness A:  Mr Trevor Harrington.  13/02/2013

Mr Trevor Harrington alleged formally to Scarborough Borough Council that Peter Jaconelli was a predatory paedophile and the police knew all about his offending.

“I was a member of his Ippon Judo Club and also worked for him at his ice cream parlours as a boy.  I can confirm from personal experience that all of the allegations published about this man are entirely correct and he was a predatory paedophile, who preyed on local children. Other witnesses have posted confirmation of the same, including that he had convictions for offences of indecency. 

His activities were well known by locals and I do not think for one minute that the authorities were not aware of this which I consider yet another blight that needs attention.

I was therefore aghast to see his photograph advertising Whitby and Scarborough and to read that he was made an honorary Alderman, when in fact he was a child abuser that did a lot of damage to the reputation of both places and to local children, which is ongoing.  

I note that Councillor Tom Fox has moved that Jimmy Savile is stripped of his title of Honorary Freeman of the Borough following the revelations about him and I support his action on this.   I am a proud Scarborian and would formally request that Peter Jaconelli is also stripped of his title of Alderman on the same basis, to remove this stain from the history of the Borough.

I thank you in anticipation of your consideration of this request and look forward to your response.”

Witness B:  Councillor Geoff Evans.  20/02/2013

Scarborough Borough Councillor Geoff Evans also alleged formally to Scarborough Borough Council that Peter Jaconelli was a predatory paedophile and the police knew all about him.

Full story here (Sunday Express), and here: (Scarborough News)

It has now come to our attention that at least three other witnesses have written in support of Trevor Harrington and Councillor Geoff Evan’s allegations, supporting his request that Jaconelli is stripped of his honorary title of Alderman, just as Savile was stripped of his title as Freeman of the Borough. We have received assurances that we have authority to publish this correspondence.

Witness C:  Name redacted.

“I have followed the Savile saga with interest. Recently, my interest has sharpened as Peter Jaconelli’s name has been implicated. I worked in his ice cream parlour when I was 15. He approached me for sexual favours during the time I worked there. It was common knowledge amongst people of my age across the town that he would do this, but at the time we just thought it was funny. The word paedophile was not in our vocabulary.

I have decided to give a statement to the police as part of operation Yewtree. Whilst Savile and Jaconelli are both dead, I think there are all sorts of unanswered questions arising out of this stinking period of Scarborough’s history.

I have spoken to Councillor Geoff Evans, who also had first hand experience of PJ’s attentions.

I would like to add my name to the list of people who want Jaconelli stripped of all honours awarded by Scarborough Council.”

Witness D:  Name redacted.

“Well done, at last some honesty in Scarborough. The cancer that has eaten away at Scarborough for so long has finally been revealed. I worked for “Jaco” in the eighties, his brother-in-law Tony who ran the ice cream factory behind Tricolos, where I worked, told me he was a predatory pervert. Admittedly, lots of the boys he did stuff with were well into their late teens and teased and flirted with him to get money over the counter of the sea front ice cream parlour. There were others though who he preyed on who were rather less proactive-the shop was full of attractive and VERY young boys. The lads in the shop had to squeeze past his crotch to serve ice cream. It astonished me then how so much stuff like this was common knowledge in Scarboroughh but nothing was done. The place was sewn up by a grim cartel of police, ‘business’ and government.

Thanks so much for standing up to be counted. Let’s start a chorus of disapproval. “

We have reason to believe that other witnesses have come forward.

Regular readers of Real Whitby will know that Real Whitby has consistently alleged that Officers of North Yorkshire Police ignored clear intelligence about Peter Jaconelli, Jimmy Savile and others committing sexual offences in Scarborough, because of their local status.

In particular, it has been alleged in the national press that North Yorkshire Police were aware of Savile’s offending and actively investigated Savile in 2003:

However it is the evidence of the fifth witness which is the most damning:

Witness E:  Name redacted.

“I linked today via Twitter to the article in the Scarborough Evening News about the former Mayor Peter Jaconelli and his unsavoury activities.

The article reminded me of my own encounter with the man outside his shop on the foreshore in the summer of 1968. At the time I was fifteen and working during the summer on the Regal lady and Coronia (Yorkshire lady).

On a Saturday morning he approached me as I passed his shop and proposition me to go with him above his shop and mentioned some disgusting activities. I refused and my response led him to ridicule and embarrass me in front of passing holiday makers.

I told my parents and my father took me to the Police station where I made a statement. The Police officer I spoke to said he believed me and was aware of similar allegations against Peter Jaconnelli. However he said Jaconelli was a Town Councillor, I believe a County Councillor, Judo club owner, business man and all round pillar of society, I was a school boy!

Needless to say that was the last I heard. I heard rumours amongst fellow school boys and on his death that graffiti had been scrawled in the church entrance.

I was very pleased to see that finally after 45 years this man activities have been made public. I fully support the removal of his mans Civic awards he was a disgusting individual and I believe he was protected. More should have been done to stop him at the time by the Police the Council and other leading members of Scarborough society who clearly knew what was going on. That wasn’t to be but like another former Scarborough luminary recently stripped of his Civic awards Jaconnelli she be remembered for what he was, not for what people thought he was.”

The response of the authorities charged with the investigation of these allegations

So what has been the response of officials to all of this evidence?

Answer:  A wall of silence, broken only by the courageous decision of Councillor Geoff Evans to speak out.

Metropolitan Police:  Operation Yewtree

On the 20^th of May 2013, Detective Inspector Maddocks of the Metropolitan Police SC&O 5(6) Major Investigation Team Child Abuse Command confirmed that all of my correspondence had been forwarded to North Yorkshire Police, that any future correspondence received from me by Officers of Operation Yewtree “will be dealt with in the same way’ and the Metropolitan Police would not comment any further.

North Yorkshire Police

Scarborough was the area with the longest period of offending by Jimmy Savile, allegedly as part of a paedophile-ring led by Peter Jaconelli and involving others. If North Yorkshire Police had followed up on the allegations about Jaconelli, Savile could conceivably have been arrested in the 1970’s.  As it is, Jaconelli’s status as Mayor, prominent businessman and Conservative politician ensured that the Police left him alone so he could operate with impunity in Scarborough from at least 1955 (but probably earlier) until about 1999.

Because of his close association with Jaconelli, Savile was also able to operate with impunity in Scarborough from his arrival there in 1960 until about 2009.

Of all the failures by the British Police Service that allowed Savile to go unpunished, the two most critical were made by North Yorkshire Police:

The inexcusable failure by North Yorkshire Police to arrest Jaconelli in Scarborough throughout four decades of abusing in Scarborough, which would surely have led them to wind up the vice ring he led in Scarborough, including Savile.   It is alleged by Witness E that a formal complaint was made at Scarborough Police Station and a statement taken.  If this is so, then there can no longer be any doubt that North Yorkshire Police knew about Jaconelli and covered up for him, as the witness states.

The apparent failure to pass on the intelligence North Yorkshire Police had successfully developed on Savile during the 2003 paedophile investigation to Surrey Police in 2007, which would certainly have led to his arrest by Surrey Police.

On the 11^th of May 2013 I wrote to Deputy Chief Constable Madgwick asking for another Force to be called in to conduct the Jimmy Savile investigation, asserting that for some time witnesses have alleged that there was institutionalised corruption in North Yorkshire Police; which allowed Peter Jaconelli and Jimmy Savile to offend unhindered in Scarborough because of their local and national status.  Deputy Chief Constable Madgwick did not bother to respond.

On the 5^th of June 2013, I wrote to Chief Constable Dave Jones asking him to investigate the allegations of corruption and incompetence in his force raised by the corruption and incompetence by North Yorkshire Police being made in the national and local press.  I have received no response.

On the 18^th of May 2013, I also wrote to the Mrs Julia Mulligan, Police and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire, asking her to support an investigation by another Force. Mrs Mulligan did not bother to respond either.

Scarborough Borough Council

On the 18^th of February 2013 ward<br /><br />
Nigel Ward” href=”http://www.real-whitby.co.uk/tag/nigel-ward” target=”_blank”>Nigel Ward asked former the leader of SBC Councillor Tom Fox the following question “What is the intention of the Leader in respect of the many serious allegations, every bit as horrific as those against Jimmy Savile, against former Councillor and Mayor Peter Jaconelli, in respect of his status as Alderman of the Borough. Is there a process in train for the Council to adopt the same approach as in the Savile case?”  He received no response.  Councillor Tom Fox was formerly the Chief Inspector in charge of policing for Scarborough for much of that time, commanding the station in the 1990s.

Subsequently, Councillor Fox confirmed that “With regards to the matter raised by Mr Harrington then I have asked for confirmation from officers that he has been informed of the Council’s action, action that was immediate, that is it was referred to the police, action that I can confirm as I forwarded copy to them myself as well as receiving confirmation that this had also been done by the Council’s Legal Dept.” 

The complaints from Mr Harrington, Councillor Evans and the others were all sent to North Yorkshire Police by Scarborough Borough Council at the time, however no action has been taken and neither complainant has been contacted by the Police or the Council.  In short the investigation into Jaconelli and Savile appears to have been abandoned and Jaconelli is still being protected. This is contrary to Conservative Party policy and to the public interest.

Removal of Jaconelli’s status as Alderman is a matter solely for the Council, not the Police. It is therefore an unacceptable cop-out for the Council to maintain that it has referred victims to the Police and its responsibilities end there.

Scarborough Borough Council should no longer maintain Britain’s most successful and long running paedophile as an Alderman.

It is in the public interest that instead of maintaining its right of silence on Jaconelli at all on the one hand, whilst trying to prevent any further embarrassing disclosures by threatening Real Whitby with legal action and the police on the other; the Council should simply have a full and frank investigation into the allegations.

If you are affected by the issues raised by this article you may wish to contact the charity HOPE.

The Police and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire, Scarborough Borough Council, Metropolitan Police and North Yorkshire Police were given sight of a draft of this article and had the opportunity to comment, but chose not to.

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