UK & World News
- 13 February 2013, 20:57
BBC And Savile's Estate Sued By Sex Victims
Jimmy Savile's estate and the BBC are being sued on behalf of 31 alleged sex abuse victims.
Solicitor Alan Collins said a writ has been issued at the High Court and the number of victims his firm Pannone is in contact with "grows on a daily basis".
He said: "The purpose of issuing the writ is to protect our clients' position and to seek management directions from the court to ensure the claims are administered as efficiently as possible.
"At this stage we are unable to expand in detail on the nature of the cases or the allegations that have been made, which range in seriousness from inappropriate behaviour to serious sexual abuse."
A BBC spokesman said: "We're unable to comment on any legal claims of this nature made against the corporation."
Savile's £4m estate has already been frozen by executors NatWest.
Another lawyer representing more than 50 of Savile's victims, Liz Dux, has previously confirmed that all of them will be pursuing civil claims for compensation.
She said that her clients would sue Savile's estate and would also pursue claims against the organisations responsible for where the alleged abuse took place.
The full scale of the late TV presenter's 54-year campaign of abuse was detailed in a joint police and NSPCC report in January.
It revealed that Savile's youngest victim was an eight-year-old boy and that he also abused seriously ill children.
There are now 214 criminal offences recorded against his name, including 34 rapes.
what do you think?
Para999Tom
here we go. all those who slagged me off for making comments about money talks. hope you eat your words now.i still don't understand how they can award people money when the cases concerned can neither be proved or disproved.
Diane Rogers
Took the words right of my mouth
blue side
Para I have always supported the 'money talks theory' and you know what WE ARE PROVEN RIGHT - wonder if those making the claim(s) realise what they face?
Paul Martin
Are you saying the cases cannot be proved ?
Andrea Hill
you so right para999tom, said from beginning, they in it for money
Louisa Gieldon
My God. if they were abused and the BBC knew this was hapening, they are entitled to make a claim against them. I would, personally, not want money as i hate the litigation culture we are becoming, but i fully understand why some would do this. Wishing to be compensated does not mean you were lying about your abuse. let's not go through weeks of that debate again please!
shaun spencer
Louisa if people knew at the bbc they should be sued or even prosecuted as individuals.not a publicly owned corporation.also i might i also got slagged off very badly on here for even suggesting they could be in it for the money.in fact one person commenting above tried to come to my rescue.even so people who have genuially been abused deserve justice.im just wondering how do you prove these people arent lying.
SagePhotoWorld
I watched his show, can I claim psychological damage? This is all bolting the door after the horse has bolted. It's just another dirty money grabbing expedition.
Brian Quinn
This is so wrong. No money should be involved in this case. The mere fact that Saville was exposed and that what he did was wrong should suffice.
Andrea Hill
agree with you brian.
john
I am rather uneasy about this. Suing the BBC is one thing, but seeing that most of his estate went to Charities does that nean they will suffer should legal action succeed?
ali baba
he was so calculated
shirley sutton
No surprise there then
ali baba
R.I.H. H stands for hades
Paul Croxton
I hope he's in a worse place than hell
rebel0931
So,if someone gets raped in a park by a park gardener, they can sue the council because they own the park and employ the gardener. Boy, just goes to show how these money grabbing solicitors think. And are they also planning on suing Stoke Mandeville Hospital as well?
Paul Martin
if the council knew the gardener was at it, they are liable. Isn't that obvious? Just read another post like this, get a grip.
shaun spencer
You would sue the individuels at the council who knew about abuse and covered it up.in fact they ought to be arrested for keeping quiet about such a thing.you dont have to sue the council, because bascically your sueing the public and these individuals who did cover up get away with it, .
pjbeckett
Beware ! Lawyers at work.
field_pete
........and money will ease the pain.
Paul Martin
Yes. Why shouldn't they take money from him, as compensation for the abuse?
shirley sutton
Funny how they only came forward after he died and it was in the press how much he left
blue side
field people do not like the facts on this case and shirley easy pickings - not saying that he was not guilty but lets just see how many stand up to questioning.
Juliet Williams
Aside, the money and to be honest, i wouldn't want any of that 'dirty money' if I'd have been one of his victims, do they keep having to show pictures of that vile man? We know what he looks like n its repulsive, so do we have to be reminded???
Louisa Gieldon
But that is his likeness and the story originates from him. Whose picture would we use instead? We cannot rewrite history
andy may
he's not been found guilty yet.
blue side
Wonder how the claimants will react to the question of why so many went back? Sorry but this has largely been about money not justice
andy may
if i say, "it was me he fixed it for to milk a cow blindfolded" will i get some money?
rebel0931
No, 'cos it was a horse you milked...
Name witheld
This comment has been removed for violations of our Terms and Conditions.
Louisa Gieldon
I think the BBC offer, by far. the better quality programmes and i'm happy to pay the license fee. My family insist on keping Sky but compared to what we pay for all those satilite channels full of cheap, rubbishy programmes, i think the annual license fee is a steal!
andy may
i agree with you louisa, the bbc is head and shoulders above the commercial channels.
shaun spencer
The bbc is a great brtish instution.have your way we would also lose many other services local radio.world service, etc etc etc etc open university magazines etc etc etc.
david
HAHAHA NOW THE MONEY COMES INTO IT...THESE PEOPLE WHO IF WE ALL BELEIVE LIVED WITH THIS FOR 20 OR 30 YEARS WITHOUT COMPO ,????BUT NOW IF THEY GET SAY 50.000 THIS WILL HELP THEM SLEEP AT NIGHT...WHAT A JOKE...AND IF THEY SUE THE B.B.C AND WIN THIS WILL OPEN THE FLOODGATES FOR EVERY PERSON SEXUALLY ASSAULTED IN THIS COUNTRY TO SUE WHO EVER OWNS THE PLACE WHERE THEY WERE RAPED.. WHAT NEXT LOCAL COUNCILS NEED TO PAT MILLIONS IN INSURANCE TO COVER THEM SELFS
Kerry Carline
Im probably gona get slated for this but i dont really care.you know what good.the bbc and other organisations knew about what was going on and decided to turn a blind eye so they should be made to pay.if they had done something then victims would have been satisfied with that a long time ago.it's their own fault and maybe it will serve as a lesson to others to act and not bury their heads with somethin like this.hope they get what they deserve.
andy may
hope you get what you deserve for any mistakes you have made in the past as well.
Kerry Carline
Iv never kept my mouth shut about a child abuser.never would.would you andy????????
andy may
no but i'm sure even you have done the wrong thing in the past. should you be hauled over the coals for the crimes of another??????????
shaun spencer
As far as i know people didnt" know" at the bbc but suspected and heard gossip which is very different to knowing for certain.which would be a big difference in court.
Kerry Carline
They still did nothing shaun.and andy i have made mistakes but not at the cost of innocent young children
EmeraldEspinoza
My mother told me not to write to Jim'll Fix It. She had heard rumours about him and this was in the 80s.
shaun spencer
If say fred bloggs at the bbc knew about the abuse by savile and covered it up you should sue fred bloggs.not bbc.
shaun spencer
How can they prove their stories if the main and only other witness is dead.and how far back in time could you go with this.could we now sue the napoleons live relatives cos his soldiers abused my great great etc grandma.
Bill Fleming
I won't be happy at having to pay a bigger licence fee to fund this lot. Only his private estate should be paying, I am sure there are genuine cases in this, but I am also sure there are some "band-wagon jumpers" too. It's now just about the money. If something happened to me in the sixties, £25k ain't gonna fix it now!
shaun spencer
2:51pm on 13/2/2013
They shouldnt be suing the bbc.if a person gets prosecuted for sexual abuse and works for a supermarket staking shelves you dont sue the supermarket.this also means we will be paying saviles victims via our tv licence..
Paul Martin
6:55pm on 13/2/2013
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