On November 27, 2014, a letter under the signature of Detective Inspector Jon Savell of the Surrey Police - in charge of Operation Outreach, specifically set up to investigate the claims of certain women from Duncroft that they had been subjected to sexual abuse by Jimmy Savile between 1974 and 1976 - was composed and sent to about 100 Duncroft women who cooperated in the investigation.
Most notably certain complainants stated they had notified members of the Duncroft staff about abuse at the hands of Jimmy Savile during visits to the school, or at the BBC on permitted school visits, only to have their complaints allegedly dismissed.
Many former Duncroft women were interviewed by Outreach in an exhaustive effort to get at the truth of what happened - or didn't.
The Outreach findings were submitted to the CPS who, after review, declined to prosecute the remaining staff. They found that the claims were flimsy at best, and doubted that a jury would be persuaded. You can see the letter at this link Outreach concludes.
I was at Duncroft in 1965 for a couple of months, having left in 1964. There was neither hide nor hair of Jimmy Savile then. Bebe Roberts, take a bow for Bullshit Artist of the Decade. Ordeals.
The same staff were running the school in my day as during the time frame when Jimmy Savile visited the school. Knowing these women pretty well, I couldn't believe for one second that any of them would've continued to allow Jimmy to come to the school if there was a reported problem. Complaining would have meant no more trips to the BBC, no more little trips into Staines in the Rolls for the sole purpose of buying ice cream; let alone there was nothing to complain about. Jimmy was there to support the daughter of a friend, not to use the school 'like a sweet shop,' to paraphrase one of these accusers.
Let's be clear - I'm not giving Jimmy a hall pass, but by the standards of the day he wasn't a rapist, a paedophile, or anything criminal. Ruth Cole, the deputy head at Duncroft, from Yorkshire herself, and a former nun, bluntly informed Outreach that he was "a toucher" but not a paedophile in her opinion.
Once he was dead, the Duncroft fraud machine, assisted by BBC producer Meirion Jones (nephew of Margaret Jones, former head of Duncroft for 20 years) and Mark Williams-Thomas (suss former cop with the Surrey Police), swung into self-interested action. The jig is now up. There won't be jolly holidays in Bermuda for the Duncroft complainants, for starters.
Based on the declination of the CPS to proceed further, surely this is going to create a problem for the Duncroft claimants. Why should the estate pay off on any of these specious claims, which are nothing but hearsay and lies?
What Jimmy really was was a product of his times. In those days it was thought a pat on the bottom, or a kiss on the hand, or an invasive kiss, was acceptable. You learned to handle that yourself. Been there, done that.
Ultimately, Jimmy Savile wanted to help those who were less fortunate, who needed a cheery word, a sympathetic ear, and help if he could provide it. And during his life, this was quite obvious and was appreciated by the British public. He was a great help to the music community of the day as well.
In closing (for now), please check out Anna Raccoon's latest post on the finale. Duncroft: The Finale - Part One.