BBC Trust chairman Lord Patten has defended George Entwistle's handling of the Jimmy Savile scandal, claiming that the Director General had been forced to deal with a 'great tsunami of filth' only 11 days after he began in the role.
The Tory peer said the sex abuse allegations against Savile had meant Mr Entwistle had faced a 'baptism of fire' after taking up the job in September.
His comments came as police investigating the scandal revealed that they were dealing with around 300 alleged victims.
'Baptism of fire': New BBC Director General George Entwistle (left) was forced to deal with 'a great tsunami of filth' within 11 days of taking the job, Lord Patten (right) said
It also emerged that Savile had been investigated for an indecent assault in the 1980s, possibly in a caravan on BBC premises in west London, but it was decided there was insufficient evidence to prosecute.
Lord Patten said the allegations against the late Top Of The Pops presenter had done 'terrible damage' to the reputation of the BBC.
Asked about Mr Entwistle’s widely-criticised appearance before the Commons Culture Committee earlier this week, he said that even 'a combination of Benjamin Disraeli and Mr Gladstone' would have had a difficult job dealing with the hearing.
Lord Patten confirmed that he had offered to join Mr Entwistle in front of the committee of MPs, but was turned down.
He told BBC Radio 4's World At One: 'I think if there had been a combination of Benjamin Disraeli and Mr Gladstone appearing in front of the select committee, they would have had a pretty tough job.
'It was a very, very difficult baptism of fire for the new Director General of the BBC.
Investigation: Police revealed that they were dealing with around 300 alleged victims of late television presenter Jimmy Savile
'This great tsunami of filth broke over him 11 days into the job.'
Lord Patten appeared to suggest that it was him who insisted on inaccuracies about the Newsnight investigation in a blog by editor Peter Rippon being corrected.
He acknowledged that it was 'exceptionally unfortunate' that he and BBC executives had relied on the incorrect information included in the blog, but insisted that he could not be expected to disbelieve the account put forward by a senior editor.
He agreed that it was 'wrong' for a BBC executive to rely on the misleading information when writing to Conservative chairman Grant Shapps ahead of his appearance to discuss the Savile case on BBC1’s Question Time.
And he said the terms used in the letter were 'unfortunate'.
Mr Shapps has complained to the BBC Trust about the letter from BBC head of public affairs Julia Ockenden.
Lord Patten said: 'Whatever the other questions we get asked and the other considerations, our main concern has to be for the victims of abuse and worse - men as well as women, but mostly women, who have been marooned for years, trying to tell their stories and not being believed - including, it seems, by the BBC.
'We have to deal with the terrible damage to the reputation of the BBC, which has hitherto been a national institution which people have trusted.
'The way of getting at this issue is by pursuing the inquiries which have been set up - independent inquiries led by people of huge integrity.
'Whatever the perfectly legitimate questions people ask about other things, my main concern has to be to get to the bottom of what has happened and be open about it as soon as we can.'
Under pressure: BBC Director General George Entwistle was widely criticised after he gave evidence about the scandal to MPs earlier this week
Lord Patten said he would not 'second-guess' the outcome of an investigation into the Newsnight film by former head of Sky News Nick Pollard or another inquiry by Dame Janet Smith into the culture of the BBC.
But he appeared to back Mr Entwistle's judgment that the Newsnight investigation, which featured interviews with a victim of Savile who had never spoken publicly about her ordeal, should not have been pulled.
'The Director General was asked in terms whether he thought it was wrong to pull the programme' Lord Patten added. 'He said that he did think it was wrong.
'With the benefit of hindsight - and there is a huge amount of that going around at the moment - I think most people would reach exactly the same conclusion.'
Veteran broadcaster John Simpson has called on BBC executives to be 'entirely honest' about the scandal.
LORD PATTEN: 'BBC IS NOT AN AGENT OF THE GOVERNMENT'
Lord Patten today rejected claims that he had acted inappropriately by asking Culture Secretary Maria Miller, pictured, not to interfere in the BBC Trust's handling of the scandal.
He said it was important to remember that 'the BBC is independent, it is answerable to licence fee-payers, it is not an agent of the Government'.
And he stressed that the BBC Trust was not involved in the editorial decisions made by the broadcaster: 'We don't have any executive responsibility over the BBC, we are the strategic authority, we have the obligation to hold the BBC to account for complying with the law, with statutory regulations and with our objectives for programme quality.
'One reason we don't interfere with editorial decisions is we have to deal with complaints which may be made about those editorial decisions.'
The news reporter, who has worked for the BBC for 46 years, said total transparency 'whatever the consequences' was the only way to save the corporation's reputation and lift staff morale.
Writing in the Spectator, Mr Simpson said he was 'certain [the BBC] had not endured a storm as bad as this during his career.
He added that the Savile scandal was different to the Hutton affair - which led to a judicial inquiry investigating events surrounding the death of biological warfare expert David Kelly and led to then BBC Director General Greg Dyke losing his job.
'This crisis is different,' Mr Simpson wrote. 'No government is attacking the BBC; the problem is our own behaviour, past and present, and paedophilia, of all the crimes in modern society, regarded as the evil of evils.
‘For the BBC to have employed one of the worst sleazebags of modern times and not protected children from him is, with hindsight, disgraceful.’
Sources admit that the atmosphere has been 'openly hostile' in parts of the BBC's news and current affairs division since the scandal broke.
Relations between management and staff deteriorated further with a furious public row between Meirion Jones, the reporter who initially suggested the Newsnight investigation and featured in Monday’s Panorama discussing the decision to axe it, and head of editorial policy, David Jordan.
In full view of colleagues the pair descended into an “angry, heated, shouting match” in which Jones said Jordan was peddling lies for management.
A source said the exchange was indicative of the tense environment in the news division.
The source said: ‘Morale is the lowest I have ever known it. People are fearful about the decisions they are making and no longer believe they would have the support of management.'
Commander Peter Spindler, of the Metropolitan Police, said officers were following more than 400 lines of inquiry linked to the victims, of whom all except two are women.
He said investigators have so far spoken to 130 people who have come forward, and 114 allegations of crime have emerged.
Questions have been raised over why previous allegations against Savile were not pursued.
Today Mr Spindler said a retired officer had been in touch to say he had investigated Savile in the 1980s while based in west London but did not have the evidence to proceed.
Lair: Police investigating the alleged sexual abuse have searched a cottage in Allt na Reigh, in Glencoe, Scotland, where Savile is said to have entertained fellow celebrities
The commander said he believed the allegation was of an indecent assault, possibly in a caravan on BBC premises in west London, but officers have still not found the original file.
Another allegation, of inappropriate touching dating back to the 1970s, was made by a woman in 2003, but this was treated as "intelligence" by police because the victim did not want to take action.
Allegations that three doctors were involved in an abuse ring linked to Savile have not yet been passed to the investigation team, Mr Spindler said.
The former DJ, who died last year aged 84, had a bedroom at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, an office and living quarters at Broadmoor and widespread access to Leeds General Infirmary.
The officer added that a search of a cottage belonging to Savile in Scotland was being carried out to look for 'any evidence of any others being involved in any offending with him'.
Savile is said to have entertained a number of celebrities at the cottage in Allt na Reigh, in Glencoe.
Mr Spindler said police were using a 'triage' approach, first making contact with victims by phone to get initial details of their allegations.
He said that most of the allegations are linked to Savile, but some involve others who may have acted with him.
Mr Spindler said Savile was 'undoubtedly' one of the most prolific sex offenders he had come across.
The inquiry will be a 'watershed' moment in the investigation of child abuse, he said.
Mr Spindler said the weight of evidence against the late DJ was overwhelming.
He said: 'We have to believe what they are saying because they are all saying the same thing independently.'
Praising victims for their courage in coming forward, Mr Spindler encouraged anyone else who is wondering whether to speak out to do so.
'That's the type of people who are the most vulnerable in our society, and they do need to be given a voice,' he said.
'I think what's happened with this inquiry is that others have clearly demonstrated that they do have a voice and that they will be heard.'
Mr Spindler also warned current abuse offenders that police 'will come for them'.
He said: 'While Britain reflects on how Savile was able to hide in plain sight, I think it's quite important that we focus on what's happening today in our society and our activities in the coming weeks hopefully will be a stark warning to any men out there today who think they can exploit their positions of power and influence and abuse children and young people in Britain.
'I really do want them to take heed, and tell them that we will come for them.'
So far, the NSPCC has had 439 calls about sexual abuse in the past three weeks, a 60 per cent rise on what the charity would normally receive.
Two out of five have been referred to social services and the police.
No comments:
Post a Comment