Savile, Jaconelli and the Council with something to hide

Savile, Jaconelli and the Council with something to hide

• Corruption Buster Tim HICKS reports on the information black-out strategy of Scarborough Borough Council

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Real Whitby regulars will know that for some time Real Whitby journalists and readers have been making grave allegations that the former Conservative Councillor, Alderman, Mayor of Scarborough (and close associate of fellow paedophile Jimmy Savile) Peter Jaconelli (deceased) was a paedophile who was protected from prosecution for many years because he was a highly influential Conservative politician, prominent businessman, with close connections to the Police and Jimmy Savile.

Jaconelli is a key figure. He established at the Ippon Judo Club in 1955 and started offending, long before Savile came to live in Scarborough. His close association with Savile ensured he was left alone by the Police. We know Savile rewarded Jaconelli with Television appearances on two or three occasions, that Jaconelli provided Savile with access to his icecream parlours where sexual abuse is known to have taken place, and that Savile visited Raincliffe School. It must surely now be a grave concern that Jaconelli abused his position as Governor to reward Savile with access to local school children.

It appears obvious that knowledge of Jaconelli’s perverted sexual preferences were well known to people locally, school teachers, school children and the North Yorkshire Police. He is even alleged to have had convictions for sexual offences. Yet nothing was done by North Yorkshire Police and he was even allowed to have access to children without restriction.

Given that Savile’s close friendship with Jaconelli had been reported on the BBC, in the press and was common knowledge locally, it is no wonder that North Yorkshire Police were apparently making enquiries about them in the 2003 paedophile investigation.

New information has emerged since my last article concerning the influence both Savile and Jaconelli have with Scarborough Borough Council even today.

New Information

• Jaconelli was active in local affairs and Conservative politics from, we think, the 1950’s until his death in 1999.  He was a Conservative Councillor and also Mayor in the early 1970’s.  This means that every local politician active in politics for more than fifteen years knew him. Yet other than the courageous, honest and principled Councillor Geoff Evans, none have as yet spoken out about Jaconelli’s activities, which were open and well known.

• Trevor Harrington has not had a response to his complaint about Peter Jaconelli.  “I was a member of his Ippon Judo Club and also worked for him at his icecream 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”.  Not even an acknowledgement.  It has in short been buried, thereby protecting the reputations of Jaconelli, his party and the Council.

• Even after Savile’s exposure as the worst serial sex offender in British history, one SBC Councillor was still advocating putting up a statue to him.

• A Councillor was leader of the Sir Jimmy Savile Memorial Steering Group, which existed for about eight/nine months. The other members were people who had known Jimmy Savile over a number of years, but – understandably – was disbanded at the time of the revelations of his alleged offences.  Although the precise details of the contact members had had with Jimmy Savile are not known, they did span a number of years.
• It has been impossible to get any response to Freedom of Information requests on Peter Jaconelli from anyone in Scarborough Borough Council (below), which appears to be operating an information blackout policy on Jaconelli.

• A follow up reminder to The Council’s Head of Legal and Democratic Services Mrs Lisa Dixon has been ignored (below).

• A follow up reminder to Leader of Scarborough Borough Council’s Councillor Tom Fox (Conservative) who was a member of North Yorkshire Police until about 1999 retiring as the Chief Inspector commanding policing in Scarborough and must have known Jaconelli has also been ignored (below).

• Nigel Ward has had no response to his question sent to the Council Leader Councillor Tom Fox (Conservative) on the 18th of February 2013:  “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?” 

Savile, Jaconelli and Real Whitby:  The Key Questions and one possible answer

If – as solicitor and Head of Legal and Democratic Services Mrs Lisa Dixon has alleged – Real Whitby’s articles are malicious, untrue and defamatory:

• Why is it that Mrs Dixon is refusing to specify any evidence to support her allegations?

• Why is it that Ms Diane Cross the Freedom of Information Officer is refusing to comply with Freedom of Information legislation and is ignoring my Freedom of Information Request on Jaconelli?

• Who is it that has ordered Ms Cross to ignore my Freedom of Information Request on Jaconelli?

• Why is it that Mrs Dixon has failed to respond to my correspondence below on Jaconelli?

• Why is it that she has not ensured that my Freedom of Information Request on Jaconelli is fulfilled?

• Why has Councillor Tom Fox not responded to my correspondence below on Jaconelli?

• Why is it that he has not ensured that my Freedom of Information Request about Jaconelli is responded to?

• Why is Trevor Harrington’s complaint being ignored?

• Why has Councillor Tom Fox not responded to my correspondence below asking for a response to Trevor Harrington’s complaint?

• Why will SBC not issue a statement or denial of the allegations made in Real Whitby and the national press?

• Why will North Yorkshire Police also not issue a denial?

• Why was the intelligence North Yorkshire Police had on Jaconelli and Savile not passed on to Surrey Police during their 2007 investigation?

• Why did Mrs Dixon write to our Internet Service Provider demanding they “terminate“ our website and then issued a Press Release denying she had done this?

• What is the real reason that Mrs Dixon wrote to our ISP demanding it take down all the articles on Savile and Jaconelli?

• Who is it that authorised this action?

• Who is it that has ordered an information blackout and press censorship on Savile and Jaconelli?

• Why is it that Councillor Tom Fox is refusing to respond to Nigel Ward’s perfectly civil and reasonable question?

Could it be that some as yet unidentified individual Councillor(s) with influence within the Council is/are trying to silence Real Whitby to continue the cover up over Jaconelli and Savile?

Well, if this is the case, three other questions have to be asked:

• If indeed Real Whitby is wrong about Save and Jaconelli, why is it that SBC is doing everything it can to prevent the truth from coming out, given that Jaconelli died in 1999?

• What is it the Council is trying to hide?

• Who is it that gains from continuing to protect the reputation of the senior Conservative politician Peter Jaconelli, arguably the most successful paedophile in the history of sexual offending in Britain?

Scarborough Borough Council and North Yorkshire Police have had the opportunity to comment on this article. We have had no response from North Yorkshire Police. SBC responded that it would respond in three days by the close of play on Monday, provided we did not publish before then.

I consider this is excessive and unreasonable. After all, SBC were able to produce their press release falsely denying they had attempted to terminate Real Whitby at short notice, and in time for the Whitby Town Council meeting, when it suited them.

Our publishing timetable requires that we need to get another article out before the Whitby Goth Weekend coverage takes over. Having given SBC a day to produce a press response, I had no choice but to publish according to our timetable, although I would have liked to include a comment from SBC.

Operation Yewtree

If any reader has information they wish to pass on to the Metropolitan Police investigation into the activities of Savile and his associates they should contact:

The Operation Yewtree Incident Room, on 0208 217 6446 in complete confidence, indicating they are doing so pursuant to the Real Whitby investigation.

Freedom of Information correspondence

From: Tim Hicks

Sent: lundi 22 avril 2013 10:06

To: ‘Cllr.Tom.Fox@scarborough.gov.uk’

Cc: ‘Harris Mike – Executive Director Forensic Services’; ‘Lisa Dixon’; all 48 SBC Councillors; ‘Kimberley.Hudson@scarborough.gov.uk’;
Subject: RE: Councillor, Alderman and Former Mayor Peter Jaconelli (deceased)

Dear Councillor Fox,

Further to my e mail to Mrs Lisa Dixon below dated 11 April 2013, which has been ignored, please can I have a response Freedom of Information request dated 18 February 2013 concerning the former Conservative Councillor, Mayor and Alderman Mr Peter Jaconelli (Deceased).

Please can you also ensure that Mr Trevor Harrington also receives a response to his complaint about Mr Jaconelli, which is also being ignored.

Yours sincerely,

Timothy Hicks

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From: Tim Hicks

Sent: jeudi 11 avril 2013 10:44

To: ‘Lisa Dixon’

Cc: ‘Harris Mike – Executive Director Forensic Services’; all 48 SBC Councillors;’Kimberley.Hudson@scarborough.gov.uk’; ‘Nigel’; ‘Glenn Kilpatrick’; ‘editorial@whitbygazette.co.uk’;

Subject: RE: peter Jaconelli

Dear Ms Dixon,

Please can I have a response to my Freedom of Information Request concerning Peter Jaconelli.

I assert the reason my request is being unlawfully ignored is because Scarborough Borough Council does not want to admit that the allegations of Councillor Evans and others that Jaconelli was a paedophile and the police and council protected him because he was the mayor and a prominent Conservative are substantially correct.

I look forward to hearing from you or from someone in Scarborough Borough Council in due course.

Yours sincerely,

Tim Hicks

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From: Diane Cross Diane.Cross@scarborough.gov.uk

Sent: lundi 18 février 2013 12:02

To: Tim Hicks

Subject: FOIA2479 – Tim Hicks re Councillor, Alderman and Mayor Peter Jaconelli (Deceased)

FOIA No: 2479

Date of Receipt: 18 February 2012

Last Date for Response: 18 March 2013

File Ref: CP01/00000152

Thank you for your written communication of 18 February 2012.  The information that you require is not included within the Council’s formal publication scheme and a referral has been made to the responsible officer to collate a response.

You may expect to receive a response to your request by 18 March 2013, that is within twenty working days of its receipt by the Council.

In some circumstances a fee may be payable and if that is the case, we will let you know. A fees notice will be issued to you, and you will be required to pay before we will proceed to deal with your request.

Please ensure that any further communication in relation to this matter is sent by you to the Freedom of Information Officer at the above address quoting the reference in the subject line of this communication.

Kind regards

Freedom of Information Officer