Jimmy Savile: the Hospitals investigations

Jimmy Savile: the Hospitals investigations

• –  TIM HICKS reports on the latest hospital investigations of systemic abuse allegations  at Rampton, High Rouds and Leeds General Infirmary.

~~~~~~

Regular readers of Real Whitby will have be aware that we have been pursuing an investigation into a paedophile ring that operated in Scarborough from about 1955 until about 2009, led by the Mayor of Scarbrough Mr Peter Jaconelli and involving Jimmy Savile, allegedly arcade owner Mr Jimmy Corrigan, and others.

One of the most disturbing revelations we uncovered is that Savile had access to Hospital patients from Rampton High Secure Psychiatric Hospital and brought them to Scarborough on day trips, where they were introduced to Jaconelli and Corrigan at Jaconelli’s ice-cream parlours, where he is known to have abused children. We were the first to discover this and it was subsequently covered in the national press.

Other information then came into our possession indicating that there were visits from other hospitals involving Savile. The concern being that he was trafficking vulnerable hospital patients to Scarborough for abuse by himself, Jaconelli and the other members of the ring. Scarborough Hospital was not involved in this investigation in any way.

Real Whitby has contacted the hospitals we believe may have been involved in this and have had the following responses:

Rampton High Secure Psychiatric Hospital

Until the Real Whitby investigation, the official position of Rampton High Secure Psychiatric Hospital was that Savile had visited there once during the 1970’s.

However, upon being contacted by Real Whitby, Rampton High Secure Psychiatric Hospital immediately initiated an investigation conducted by Dr Mike Harris B.Sc, MB, BS, MRCS, LRCP, FRCPsych, Executive Director Forensic Services, Chief Officer for High Secure Services and a Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist.  It was conducted openly and Real Whitby co-operated fully with the investigation at all times, making all of our information available to Dr Harris.

The investigation identified members of staff that were on the visit and also a group photograph of the patients, nurses, Savile, Jaconelli and Savile’s mother Mrs Agnes Savile on the steps of Scarborough Town Hall.  Understandably, the Hospital will not release this photograph because it has the faces of patients on it. The investigation fully confirmed the accuracy of the Original Report.

It also confirmed that Jimmy Savile had stayed at Rampton in his notorious camper-van for an unknown period, during which time according to one member of staff “he had a different woman every night”.  Only one of the ladies involved has been identified and she was over the age of consent. The others remain unidentified and it is therefore unclear if they were patients, members of staff or outsiders.

Happily, the members of staff who were present on both visits are adamant that the patients were properly supervised and no abuse took place.

A hospital spokesman confirmed:

“Upon receiving information relating to a visit by Jimmy Savile to Scarborough involving Rampton Hospital, the Trust (Nottinghamshire Healthcare) has undertaken an internal investigation into these historical visits. Our initial findings seem to confirm two visits to Scarborough by patients and staff from the Hospital on the 25^th of April 1971 and 21^st of September 1972.  We have the visits mentioned in a number of patient notes and a small number of patients have not yet been identified. We do not think there was any other involvement with patients as, anecdotally, we hear Jimmy Saville annoyed the Senior Nurse at the Hospital during this time and was discouraged from visiting again.

In the early 70s there were many visits out of the Hospital by patients, indeed many of them worked on a farm outside of the secure fenced area.  There were approximately 1300 patients at that time, many of whom did not need to be in high secure care. They were looked after by 300 staff. Currently every patient within the Hospital needs high secure care, 350 of them are cared for by 1900 staff. Visits outside the Hospital happen rarely, mainly for court appearances, medical treatment or for compassionate reasons and these have to be agreed with the Ministry of Justice. These figures are publically available in our Board Papers, which are published on our web site.

We now have stringent policies and procedures in place to deal with visitors to the Hospital and safeguard our patients, including advance booking of visitors, advanced CRB checks for volunteers and visitors are also accompanied by staff at all times.”

High Royds Psychiatric Hospital Leeds

Real Whitby contacted the High Royds Psychiatric Hospital in Leeds and asked them to investigate if Jimmy Savile had arranged visits to Scarborough for its patients.

A hospital spokesman commented:

 “An incident which occurred at High Royds Hospital in 1989 has been brought to our attention through the Giving Victims a Voice report into allegations made against Jimmy Savile.  We are not aware of any other allegations and we have no record or knowledge of Savile taking patients on any visits.  Any activities involving patients which take place off Trust premises are carefully risk-assessed and patients are always accompanied by our staff.

We consider it is unlikely that Savile took patients from the hospital on visits, but it is 21 years since the date of the allegation we have received.  Many of Savile’s other alleged offences took place between 20-40 years ago and can only do our best to look into allegations that we are made aware of.”

Clearly investigating historical allegations of sexual offences up to forty years ago is a difficult task and it is understandable that the hospital was not able to rule out the possibility of patients from the hospital having been involved in these visits to Jaconelli at Scarborough.

Leeds General Infirmary

Real Whitby contacted Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Leeds General Infirmary (LGI), and asked them to investigate if Jimmy Savile had arranged visits to Scarborough for its patients. A spokesman pointed out that patients undergoing medical or surgical care would be unlikely to leave the hospital on a trip and the Trust would need to have more detail of specific claims as it was not aware of any. Due to the length of time that has elapsed, the Trust was unable to confirm definitely whether these visits had taken place or not. The Trust has an independent Investigation Team looking into Savile’s involvement with the LGI and stressed that any evidence or concerns should be passed on to them.

We also asked for information on the dates that Mr Alan Franey (who was a close friend, a member of Savile’s running club and who was subsequently personally recommended by Savile for appointment at Broadmoor) was a member of the management team there.

The Trust spokesman commented:

“The Investigation Team based at the hospital is looking at issues including the historical management arrangements, which are quite complex to unravel. As you will appreciate such information about many years ago is not known to the current Trust.  That work is still ongoing and will be published as part of their eventual report.  Those facts about Mr Franey and Savile’s involvement with the hospital stretching back many decades are not fully known and that is why we have an Investigation Team who are looking into such matters.

Please see below our public statements about this – the first of which makes clear the investigation team will carry out their work in private prior to releasing a public report, plus the terms of reference which set down what exactly they are aiming to do, one of which is to establish a full chronology:

http://www.leedsth.nhs.uk/about-us/news-and-media/news-item/article/composition-and-approach-of-leeds-investigation-looking-into-matters-relating-to-jimmy-savile/

http://www.leedsth.nhs.uk/about-us/news-and-media/news-item/article/terms-of-reference-for-jimmy-savile-internal-investigation/

On the basis of these very clear statements we are declining to comment on matters which the panel are currently looking into – that policy applies to all media, so you are not being treated differently from anyone else.”

One of the members of the investigation team is Detective Superintendent Ray Galloway (retired), formerly the Director of North Yorkshire Police Force Intelligence, who commanded its Force Intelligence Bureau I believe until his retirement in January 2013.  He is internationally famous for his investigation of the disappearance of  Claudia Lawrence

This is of interest because in July 2007 North Yorkshire Police received an enquiry from Surrey Police for any intelligence they had on Jimmy Savile.  The Bureau sent back a negative response.  However, in fact Savile was well known as an associate of the known paedophile Peter Jaconelli.  Detectives from North Yorkshire Police had apparently questioned witnesses about Savile in the 2003 investigation referred to above.

The Surrey Police investigation was the best chance that existed of bringing Savile to justice.  It failed because:

1. A police officer referred to as “Inspector 5” of West Yorkshire Police who was a member of Savile’s notorious “Friday Morning Tea Club” (a regular gathering for twenty years, of senior officers for tea with Savile while they were on duty, where Savile alleged  “blackmail letters”  -i.e. complaints about Savile- were destroyed) rang Surrey Police and arranged for Savile to be interviewed at Stoke Mandeville Hospital instead of being interviewed at a police station.
2. North Yorkshire Police Force Intelligence Bureau failed to pass on the intelligence they undoubtedly had about Saville and Jaconelli, to the Surrey investigation.    It should be further noted that the Force Intelligence Bureau features prominently in the series of articles on corruption and misconduct in North Yorkshire Police called Operation Countryman II which we will be running shortly.

I found it intriguing that an officer who had access to all force intelligence and therefore may have had knowledge of the original bungled investigation into Savile and Jaconelli was also involved in the present NHS investigation.  I therefore asked the following additional questions of Mr Galloway.

1. At what date did Mr Galloway take up his appointment as Director of Force Intelligence?
2.  Did he know or meet Jimmy Savile at any time either socially or through his duties?
3.  Was he a member of Savile’s Friday Morning Tea Club?
4.  Does he know if any officers of North Yorkshire Police were members of the Friday Morning Tea Club?
5.  Did he at any time know Inspector Mick Starkey or any other member of the Friday Morning Tea Club?
6.  Did he know or meet Peter Jaconelli, (NAME REDACTED) or Jimmy Corrigan at any time either socially or through his duties?
7.  Was he involved at all in the investigation into Rutter and White in 2003?
8.  Does he have any explanation for the failure of North Yorkshire Police to pass on information to the Surrey investigation?

I received the following prompt and courteous response from a Leeds Teaching Hospitals spokesman:

“I have put this question to Mr Galloway and he has confirmed he was not the Director of Intelligence for North Yorkshire Police in July 2007, nor has he ever been involved, in any way whatsoever, with any investigation or enquiry relating to Jimmy Savile.  He does not wish to add any more to that statement.  Reporting to the formal panel is an investigation team, their names and roles are spelled out on a separate public website set up specifically for the investigation, which is accessible via the link below:

http://www.speakingoutleeds.co.uk/

when you go on to that site click on investigation in the menu in the top left and then scroll down to the membership.

As you will see it includes brief biographies for the investigation team members, including Mr Galloway.  This sets outs the why Mr Galloway is suitably qualified to be involved in the Leeds investigation, and you will also note that there are a number of other well qualified and independent individuals who are part of the same team.

I really don’t have anything else I can add on the matters you raised relating to Mr Galloway or North Yorkshire Police – as I said in my last message these are not questions for our Trust.”

Clearly, having a retired senior Police Officer on the team is an asset to the investigation. Having taken up an appointment to an investigation of this nature of his own free will, Mr Galloway has accepted a duty to behave openly and has voluntarily agreed to some degree of public scrutiny of his experience and credentials.

Given the public allegations that blatant corruption in North Yorkshire Police allowed Jaconelli and Savile to operate openly in Scarborough, because of Jaconelli’s position as Mayor and his close connections to the Police and the Council; that there is now potentially a link between Savile’s offending at the LGI (in the West Yorkshire Police Area, where one police officer has been referred to the IPCC) and Jaconelli and Savile’s offending in Scarborough (in the North Yorkshire Police area), it seems to me to be completely unsatisfactory that Mr Galloway refuses to answer these questions and carries on as a member of the investigation with this unresolved conflict of interest.

Under these circumstances, it appears to me that the integrity of the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust investigation is fatally compromised.

A spokesperson for the trust responded to this concern:

“We do not intend to answer the questions you raise whilst the investigation is underway.  We do not accept that the investigation into Jimmy Savile’s activities is in any way compromised or flawed and are assured that it is being conducted with the utmost integrity.”

I can only pose the question:

If indeed this is the case, why should Mr Galloway refuse to answer the above questions about any knowledge he or North Yorkshire Police may or may not have had about Savile’s close associate and fellow paedophile Jaconelli?

Particularly as a simple answer confirming he knew nothing would resolve these concerns and add to the credibility of the investigation.

Summary

This latest line of enquiry pursued into Savile by Real Whitby has established that:

• Savile stayed at Rampton in his camper-van for an unknown period, during which time he had sexual relations with unidentified women of unknown age and origin who could have been patients, members of staff or outsiders. So it is possible that offences of sexual abuse did occur at Rampton High Secure Mental Hospital, as they did at Broadmoor.

• Savile was trafficking hospital patients into Scarborough to meet at Jaconelli and Corrigan, (the two men that allegedly featured in the 2003 investigation into Rutter and White) from Rampton on two occasions and probably from other hospitals we have not as yet been able to identify.

• The patients were taken to the meet Jaconelli (a known abuser of children) at the Town Hall, his ice cream parlours (scenes of abuse) and Corrigan’s amusement arcades.

• The investigation of the visits to Scarborough by Rampton patients has confirmed that no abuse took place on those two visits.

Frustratingly, the investigation has been inconclusive, because we have been unable to identify which other hospital(s) were involved or what happened. This is because the events under investigation happened up to forty years ago and the Rampton investigation was assisted by the existence of the original Sunday People article.  However, if any Real Whitby reader has any further information on hospital visits, please contact us using the comments section, or alternatively the Real Whitby email address in complete confidence

Savile did not do anything for anyone without something in it for himself. According to Commander Peter Spindler commanding Operation Yewtree, Savile was “a prolific, predatory sex offender spent every minute of every waking day thinking about abuse” and we can therefore be confident that if he had the opportunity to abuse patients who had been taken away from the close supervision in a hospital ward for a day visit he and Jaconelli would have done so. It still therefore remains a concern that abuse of hospital patients may have occurred.

Savile the unanswered questions

Real Whitby and others have consistently alleged that Jaconeli was left alone by the local police and council because of his status as Mayor and prominent businessman. This allowed him to provide his cronies (including Savile) a benign environment to operate in completely unhindered by the police.  Hence perhaps the reason that Savile stayed in Scarborough after his mother’s death in 1972 and gave Jaconelli and others access to vulnerable people.

• Jimmy Savile’s ability to commit hundreds of serious sexual offences inside public institutions and Peter Jaconelli’s to commit them in his ice cream parlours, his judo club and local schools without the police knowing is simply not credible

This latest line of enquiry by Real Whitby and the publication of the Report into allegations of collusion by West Yorkshire Police has uncovered more questions about the actions of Scarborough Borough Council and officers North Yorkshire Police, which remain unanswered:

• Why will North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire Police not confirm the names of the officers that were members of Savile’s infamous “Friday Morning Tea Club” Given that the West Yorkshire Police report admitted “over-reliance on personal friendships” between Savile and some officers, and said “mistakes were made” in handling intelligence.  In contrast, the British Transport Police responded openly and promptly that none of their officers were involved.

To quote the above BBC report:

• “West Yorkshire Police (WYP) said there were “currently 76 crimes involving 68 victims committed in the West Yorkshire area relating to Savile”, but claimed none of these were reported to the force before his death. How can it be that West Yorkshire police have no record of any allegations against Jimmy Savile while he was alive but have since received dozens of complaints of historical abuse?
  

• Why was the 1998 “anonymous letter” claiming the presenter was a paedophile not entered on the force’s database and acted upon? And how deeply did Savile’s friendships with police officers really go?

• Then there are the mysterious links to the Yorkshire Ripper inquiry: the presenter’s details were on four “index cards”. Perhaps a detective suspected he might be involved.
  

It adds to an uneasy sense that the review hasn’t established the full story of Jimmy Savile’s relationships with the force.”

• Why will North Yorkshire Police comment on why they failed to pass on the intelligence they had on Jaconelli, Corrigan and Savile to the Surrey investigation in 2007?
  

• How can it be that North Yorkshire Police claim that a search of their records revealed no local connection, when he and Jaconelli were offending in Scarborough from 1955 and 1960 onwards respectively, and it has no record of any allegations against Jimmy Savile while he was alive, but have since received eight complaints of historical abuse?
  

• Why will the former Director of North Yorkshire Force Intelligence, Detective Superintendent Ray Galloway (Retired) not confirm what North Yorkshire Police knew about Peter Jaconelli and the paedophile ring he operated openly in Scarborough from 1955 onwards (which included Savile), which every schoolboy in Scarborough was aware of?

• The IPCC has written to Surrey, Sussex, Thames Valley, Greater Manchester, the Metropolitan, Lancashire and West Yorkshire forces asking them to review all relevant material and information to establish whether there are conduct matters that should be referred to the IPCC and to re-look at all information relating to the late Jimmy Savile. The IPCC has asked that each force provides the relevant documents and, if they decide not to record or refer any matters, the rationale for not doing so.  Why has the IPCC excluded North Yorkshire Police from this enquiry, given the open public allegations of corruption in that force? 

• Why will Detective Superintendent Ray Galloway (retired) or the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Investigation Team not comment on the concerns that Mr Galloway has a potential conflict of interest in participating in the investigation and resolve this.

• Why will Councillor Tom Fox leader of the Council and formerly the Chief Inspector in charge of Scarborough Police not answer Nigel Ward’s eminently reasonable question “Would the Leader confirm or deny that, as a former ranking Police Officer in Scarborough, and as long-serving leading Councillor since that time, he was aware that elements within the Authorities were cognisant of concerns of the gravest nature in respect of the activities of Sir Jimmy Savile, yet nevertheless played a leading role in the lavish civic honours bestowed upon a man now widely reviled as the worst and most degenerate sexual predator in the Borough’s history?”
  

• Why will Scarborough Borough Council not respond to Trevor Harrington’s complaint about Peter Jaconelli, alleging he was a paedophile and asking him to be stripped of his honorary title of Alderman?
  

North Yorkshire Police were offered the opportunity to comment on this article but did not do so.