What is the story?
Jimmy Savile was a British media personality who died in 2011. In 2012 widespread reporting emerged alleging his role in extensive sexual abuse.
In 2007 police interviewed Savile as part of their probe into an allegation of indecent assault at Duncroft Approved School near Staines during the 1970s. It was known that he routinely visited the school during that decade. The CPS did not bring forward any charges and dismissed taking any further action due to insufficient evidence.
No prosecutions were brought in the wake of these three probes as none of the victims was willing to testify in court.
In 2008 Savile took legal action against The Sun newspaper, which had alleged his links to the abuse of minors at a Jersey children’s home. He denied visiting the home but later admitted doing so, after photographs emerged of him with children at the property.
Jersey Police said a local police inquiry into an indecent assault by Savile at the home in the 70s had failed to proceed due to lack of evidence.
By 2013 the Metropolitan Police said that the total number of alleged victims of Savile was 450.
What has that got to do with Keir Starmer?
Sir Keir Starmer, the current leader of the Labour Party, served as the director of public prosecutions from 2008 to 2013.
Keir Starmer was the most senior public prosecutor in England and Wales and held responsibility for heading the CPS. His time in this role coincided with the time that the public allegations mentioned above were made against the entertainer Jimmy Savile.
Upon the publication of a subsequent Levitt inquiry into the decision not prosecute Savile, Starmer issued an apology, stating: “I would like to take the opportunity to apologise for the shortcomings in the part played by the CPS in these cases. If this report and apology are to serve their full purpose, then this must be seen as a watershed moment.”
Sir Keir did not though himself lead the investigation into the notorious sex offender and erstwhile TV presenter, nor decide not to charge him. He later ordered an inquiry into claims police mishandled evidence.
What does Keir Starmer say?
The DPP’s review into why the CPS did not prosecute Savile in 2009 began in October 2012.
The report was prepared by Starmer’s Principal Legal Advisor Alison Levitt QC.
Published in January 2013, the report said that prosecutions could have been possible in relation to three of the claims if police and lawyers had taken a different approach. It also concluded that the CPS had “no record at all” of the case, the file having been “destroyed” in 2010.
Nazir Afzal who served as the Chief Crown Prosecutor for North West England between 2011 and 15 told the BBC that Starmer would not have been aware of the Surrey investigations at the time, explaining: “None of that would have been escalated beyond the south-east and Keir wasn’t aware of it.”
“At that time we were dealing [with] 900,000 prosecutions a year,” he added.
The CPS said: “There is no reference within the report to any involvement from the Director of Public Prosecutions in the decision-making in the Savile case. The reviewing lawyer at the time set out their own reasons for the decisions they took, which are reproduced in the report.”
Starmer also said police had taken an “unjustifiably cautious” approach to the case.
What do voters think?
During a heated parliamentary debate on 31 January 2022, prime minister Boris Johnson accused the Labour leader Keir Starmer during his time as chief prosecutor as spending more “time prosecuting journalists and failing to prosecute Jimmy Savile”.
Boris Johnson’s comments were supported by some, like the Conservative MP, Gordon Henderson. However others such as the Tory MP, Julian Smith were critical of Mr Johnson over what they saw as Jimmy savile slur.
It appears that, in general, the public disagrees with Johnson’s claim.
One in five Brits said Johnson’s claims about Starmer’s culpability regarding the failure to prosecute Savile are “probably true”,
However, most (56 per cent) of UK adults said Mr Johnson’s comments were not appropriate for senior politicians to make.
