Esther Rantzen on Jimmy Savile: I believe interviewees
ESTHER Rantzen has reiterated her belief that television star Jimmy Savile was guilty of sexual abuse.
Speaking at the Cheltenham Literature Festival yesterday, the founder of Childline told a hushed audience 'it seemed to me to be absolutely clear' that the late television presenter abused children.
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Esther Rantzen
The broadcaster was asked how quickly she made up her mind after viewing the testimony of his alleged victims.
She said: "They showed me the interviews and I consulted ChildLine because I wanted to know what they felt about me taking part in the documentary and they said it's obviously better if I stayed neutral. But as I began to listen to these women talking without any sensational, vindictive, any kind of emotion, just reliving vivid memories, each one convinced me individually.
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"Having heard how the women were corroborating each other, describing such similar events, I could not stay neutral.
"That's why I said that the jury is no longer out."
She spoke of the 'terrible conflict' that arises whenever such accusations are levelled at high profile person.
"You have this national icon who was knighted, who spent time at Chequers – he knew everyone," she said.
"All the scales were weighted against the individual child."
Comments
by macrofeet
Monday, October 15 2012, 5:12PM
“He's dead and cant explain what he did guilty or not I find it hard to believe that the people were scared to blow the whistle on an 85 year old long out of the lime light how can they get justice from the dead anyway?
His reputation is ruined and people organizations will have suffered from the media publishing speculation and finger pointing all to sell a story.
"The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it."
â Albert Einstein”
by FreeRadical1
Wednesday, October 10 2012, 5:48PM
“I meant to say from the 1970s especially.”
by FreeRadical1
Wednesday, October 10 2012, 5:47PM
“I can well understand how some lowly employee at the bottom of the pecking order would have been too scared to cause a fuss if they knew about Jimmy's behaviour, but Esther Rantzen was MASSIVE in the 1980s and 1990s. She was also married to a BBC executive, Desmond Wilcox. Together, surely they were at least as influential as Jimmy Savile.”
by Dr_Hfrrrrr
Wednesday, October 10 2012, 3:19PM
“Takeaway. Thank you for your very kind - and dare I say it - brave and anonymous words. I appreciate how you find it very brave that I post anonymously on an internet forum about people posting anonymously on internet forums about how it's very brave of people to post anonymously on internet forums about how people post bravely and anonymously on internet forums about how people people post bravely and anonymously on internet forums”
by Takeaway22
Wednesday, October 10 2012, 1:11PM
“by Dr_Hfrrrrr - I find it very brave of you to post anonymously on an internet forum about people posting anonymously on internet forums about how it's very brave of people to post anonymously on internet forums about how people people post bravely and anonymously on internet forums about how people people post bravely and anonymously on internet forums!”
by CaptCX
Wednesday, October 10 2012, 12:58PM
“Jimmy Savile was investigated by the police in respect of this kind of accusation several times in the mid-2000s...................So how come Rantzen didn't come forward to assist with that/those enquiries?
She's very big on reminding everyone about her 'Childline' credentials - however, she apparently didn't want to put her head above the parapet whilst Savile was alive.”
by Dr_Hfrrrrr
Wednesday, October 10 2012, 10:44AM
“HuckiePhil, I find it very brave of you to post anonymously on an internet forum about people posting anonymously on internet forums about how it's very brave of people to post anonymously on internet forums about how people people post bravely and anonymously on internet forums.”
by Selector
Wednesday, October 10 2012, 9:08AM
“Now then, now then. Jangle, jangle, jewellery, jewellery. Howz about that then?”
by Faire_La_Moue
Wednesday, October 10 2012, 12:51AM
“Maybe given the 'national treasure' status this man enjoyed for decades and the protection that goes with that (friends with those in government, royalty and no doubt the legal profession) to make an accusation of improper conduct without alleged victims already having made complaints, she would have been slammed with a libel case and ruined.
His modus operandi seems to have been to choose those who would never have been believed, troubled and rootless youngsters who society had already deemed write-offs. By colluding with others in the 'biz' and perhaps those in positions of power with perverted proclivities, he had dirt on others if anyone blew the whistle..He had the BBC over a barrel and 30 + years ago they probably knew it.”
by ladygray
Tuesday, October 09 2012, 10:15PM
“Esther you knew or suspected what was happening, as an ambassador for childline why did you never speak up?”