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A real-life victim of Jimmy Savile who waived his right to anonymity to appear in a new docu-drama about the entertainer’s horrific crimes has explained how he was inspired to come forward after hearing the story of a Jersey boy abused at Haut de la Garenne.
Featuring Steve Coogan as its lead, ITV-produced The Reckoning premiered on BBC One on Monday.
The four-part series charts the notorious abuser’s rise to fame and extensive crimes against children and other vulnerable people through a mix of scenes acted by Coogan, archive footage and interviews with real-life victims.
Among them was Kevin Cooper (56), who was abused after being lured into Savile’s dressing room after filming an episode of Jim’ll Fix it with his scout group.
He did not share his story for decades, but told the Mirror this week that he was inspired to tell his wife in 2012.
"After I heard about a boy in Jersey who had been abused by Savile, I was up all night thinking about it. The next morning I tried to tell my wife he had abused me, but I couldn't get it out because I was so scared. Then I just blurted it out later that day,” he said.
"We had a cuddle, she went away and came back with the phone and said, ‘The police want to talk to you.’”
Allegations against Savile suggest that he sexually assaulted over 400 people across more than half-a-century – with many of those centring on his time in Jersey.
Savile was known to have visited the island many times over the years, appearing as Mr Battle on three occasions, in 1969, 1972 and 2002.
He was also a frequent visitor to infamous children’s home Haut de la Garenne and the Sacré Coeur orphanage, where he was said to have abused numerous young children. He also took part in local charity walks and fun-run events, and gave talks at St Patrick's Church and Aquila Methodist Church.
Pictured: Infamous Jersey children's home Haut de la Garenne.
One resident of the former told the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry that he recalled being abused in a camper van parked in the home’s grounds.
A woman also claimed she was abused at the orphanage in 1969, but that her mouth was washed out with soap when she reported it to a nun.
In 2008, Savile tried to take legal action against The Sun newspaper for an article linking him to Haut de la Garenne and the investigation into child abuse going on there at the time. He denied having visited, but the paper later published a photograph of Savile at the home.
It emerged in 2012 that the States of Jersey Police had investigated an allegation of indecent assault against Savile said to have occurred in the 1970s, which arose during the course of their historic abuse investigation. However, they decided that there was “insufficient evidence to proceed”.
One witness to the Care Inquiry said that she had heard a rumour that Savile had paid £50,000 to the States of Jersey to keep his name out of the allegations. However, the then-Home Affairs Minister Ian Le Marquand said that this was "complete and utter nonsense".
While The Reckoning does not explicitly reference his time in Jersey, Episode 2 contains archive footage of the DJ’s motor home – one of the locations he was known to have abused victims – driving along the Five Mile Road.
Visible in the background is the Watersplash, advertising ‘The Solomon King Show’. A programme held at Jersey Archive dates this to 1969 – the year that Savile first appeared in the leading Battle of Flowers role.
In a later episode set in the 2000s, Savile is questioned by two police officers investigating allegations made in the grounds of a care home. He tells the officers that he has previously faced allegations, but: “…I use my legal expertise to make it go away – which it always does because there is never a shred of evidence.”
Shortly after, the claimant receives a letter informing her that the investigation is not being taken further.
Since airing, the drama has been praised for its focus on those affected by Savile's crimes, though some have suggested more focus could have been placed on institutional safeguarding failings at the BBC.
The series, which can be viewed in full on iPlayer, ends with a plea from one survivor of Savile's abuse, who says: "Please don't let this ever happen again."
Pictured top: Jimmy Savile in Howard Davis Park, 1979. (Courtesy of Jersey Heritage, copyright Jersey Evening Post)
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