On 19 October 2012 the Metropolitan Police launched a formal criminal investigation into historic allegations of child sex abuse by Savile over four decades.
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It stated that it was pursuing over 400 separate lines of inquiry based on evidence of 200 witnesses via 14 police forces across the UK.
It described the alleged abuse as being “on an unprecedented scale” and the number of potential victims as “staggering”.
By 19 December, eight people had been questioned as part of the investigation. The Met stated that the total number of alleged victims was 589, of whom 450 alleged abuse by Savile.
The report of the investigations undertaken jointly by the police and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), Giving Victims a Voice, was published on 11 January 2013.
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It reported allegations covering a period of 50 years, including 214 alleged acts by Savile which, though uncorroborated, have been formally recorded as crimes, some involving children as young as eight.
The report states “within the recorded crimes there are 126 indecent acts and 34 rape/penetration offences.” Alleged offences took place at thirteen hospitals as well as on BBC premises, according to the report.
In October 2013 it was announced that inquiries had been extended to other hospitals. On 26 June 2014, the Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt, reported on the findings of the investigations led by Kate Lampard.
He said that Savile had sexually assaulted victims aged between 5 and 75 in NHS hospitals, and Hunt apologised to the victims. Further investigations, in hospitals and elsewhere, led to additional allegations of sexual abuse by Savile.
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