The origins of the Jimmy Savile scandal

What is it about?

Jimmy Savile, the BBC entertainer was accused, after his death, of a range of sexually abusive behaviours. These allegations have been accepted uncritically and without any trail or other due process. Early allegations have their origins in a girls' residential school. Yet, many of the factual and contextual circumstances do not fit with the claims being made. In this article, we draw on alternative accounts to ask questions of the story that has taken root.

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Why is it important?

The Savile story has had massive societal and cultural ramifications and has reoriented the criminal justice system towards a default position of believing the victim. The recent conviction of Carl Beech for perverting the course of justice in respect of false allegations against public figures (which happened in the wake of the Savile case) makes it vitally important to subject such cases to academic investigation

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