“The Reckoning”

“The Reckoning”

• – an “In My View” article by NIGEL WARD, thanking readers for their supportive messages following the broadcast of the BBC mini-series “The Reckoning”. This article in the Radio Times (see below) provides interesting background reading:

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In an article entitled “Savile – and Other Party Animals”, published on 11th November 2012, I was the first (closely followed by NYE colleague Tim HICKS) to publicly denounce former Scarborough Mayor, Alderman and North Yorkshire County Councillor Peter JACONELLI as a prolific serial sexual abuser and close cohort of the execrable Jimmy SAVILE.

The following extract from my 2012 article ties in very closely with the broadcast of the BBC mini-series “The Reckoning”, based on fellow investigative journalist Dan DAVIES’ biography of SAVILE – “In Plain Sight – the Life and Lies of Jimmy Savile” (in which two chapters are devoted to the work of the North Yorks Enquirer). I wrote:

“Noteworthy is the fact that Savile-biographer Dan Davies has reported that Savile is also alleged (by fellow DJ Tony Calder) to have routinely kept Chief Police Officers on-side, to ‘cover his back’ – i.e.  protect himself from arrest.

It is for Operation Yewtree and the anticipated Public Inquiry to determine the truth (or otherwise) of the huge roster of allegations against Savile. But the preponderance of probability is persuasive enough for most objective observers; Savile almost certainly did bring his perversion with him to Whitby and Scarborough – where, according to today’s papers, “victims have told detectives Savile masterminded a gang of pervs from his luxury flat” – a luxury flat, by the way, that Scarborough & Whitby’s Robert GOODWILL MP (Con.) was reportedly ‘stunned’ to learn had yet to be searched by the North Yorkshire Police.

That “gang of pervs”, needless to say, was known locally as ‘The Club’, and there is little doubt that it included amongst its members his worship the Mayor of Scarborough Councillor Peter Jaconelli, as well as other prominent and influential local ‘dignitaries’.”

BBC Inside Out covered our allegations:

The North Yorkshire Police denied any knowledge. Subsequently, however, fellow NYE investigative journalist Tim HICKS and I worked closely with Operation Yewtree with the result that the North Yorkshire Police confirmed that both SAVILE and JACONELLI, who died in 1999, would have been charged had he been still alive.

Eventually, on 12th May 2014, JACONELLI was struck off the SBC Mayoral Roll of Honour. (see BBC coverage, here).

At my request, NYCC Leader Councillor Carl LES [Con.] issued an apology to JACONELLI’s victims for the Council’s failure to act on contemporaneous complaints, as did Assistant Chief Constable Paul  KENNEDY on behalf of the North Yorkshire Police.

No apology was ever forthcoming from SBC. My request to SBC Leader Steve SIDDONS [Lab.], when he first assumed office in May 2019, was (and remains) ignored.