By a Newsnet reporter
The Chairman of the BBC Trust has admitted that he would not be surprised if the Jimmy Savile sex scandal led to resignations and disciplinary action at the BBC.
Calling the growing revelations surrounding the former BBC star an “appalling tsunami of horror”, Lord Patten’s warning of possible disciplinary action came as another victim claimed she was raped by a member of BBC staff on BBC premises.
Speaking to ITV news, the woman has claimed she was raped on BBC premises in 1970 by a BBC employee who is still alive. According to the woman, who ITV news are calling ‘Penny’, she was assaulted by Savile before being raped by someone she describes as his colleague.
The woman said that Savile’s colleague “raped me without a shred of a doubt” and she had now spoken to police because she wanted to see some justice.
The woman described how she found herself on the carpet but hadn’t fallen over. She shouted “what are you doing” and was told to keep her voice down and shut up, before being raped.
Detectives investigating allegations against the late DJ have described their inquiry as a “watershed moment for child abuse in the UK”. According to the police, they are now preparing to make arrests in a case that may involve over 300 victims.
Commander Peter Spindler, who is leading the investigations, told reporters that most of the allegations are linked to Savile, but some involve others who may have acted with him.
Detectives have already labelled Savile one of the most prolific sex offenders of recent history and have described three categories of inquiry.
“There’s Savile on his own, and that’s the vast majority of what we’re being told about, there’s Savile and others. And it’s the others, if they’re living, we can look at them. Then there is a third category which is ‘others’.” said a spokesman.
The new accusation of rape will intensify pressure on the BBC as the corporation comes under fire following revelations that it misled the public over reasons for shelving a Newsnight investigation into Savile.
A Panorama programme broadcast this week contained allegations of a paedophile ring operating in the BBC at the time of the Savile scandal and also contained allegations that groups would seek out youngsters who were appearing on TV shows, who were then taken off BBC premises to unknown locations.
The scandal has led to many high profile current and former BBC presenters to claim that Savile’s liking for young girls was common knowledge and that a culture existed within the BBC that allowed sexual abuse of young women to take place.
The latest is former comedian Bill Oddie who claimed that Savile’s paedophile tendencies were well known in BBC circles in the seventies and suggested that it was covered up because Savile had influential friends.
He said: “The idea that youngsters were prey – everybody knew that.
“I was not surprised at all. And the surprise is in a sense that that didn’t happen years ago.
“The establishment or who ever it is decided to keep it all quiet and decided to give him a knighthood. He was, to a certain amount, a friend of royalty.”
He added: “I do not know why it took so long to come to light. That is what I am curious about.”