A long-awaited report carried out by former court of appeal judge Dame Janet Smith into the sex offenses of prominent celebrities including Jimmy Savile has claimed that the BBC maintained a "culture of fear and oppression" around challenging the stars, according to the Guardian. The report also concluded that the BBC as a corporation was not aware of Savile's personal conduct and cannot be convicted of an offense, which is likely to cause controversy amongst the victims of Savile's abuse.
The extensive report, which comes to 372,400 words, was released today and has been referred by Smith as "sorry reading" for those working at the BBC. Smith found that fears over losing stars led to employees failing to report concerns to higher management and a refusal to criticize the behavior of the celebrities involved, according to the Associated Press. She claimed that 117 people working at the BBC had admitted to hearing rumors about Savile's abuses.
"The evidence I heard suggested that the talent was treated with kid gloves and rarely challenged," Smith said of the report. "There was a feeling of reverence for them and a fear that, if a star were crossed, he or she might leave the BBC."
The report found that there were five "missed opportunities" to take action against the widespread abuse but that claims were never dealt with and girls who complained about the abuse were considered to be a "nuisance," according to the Telegraph. Savile abused at least 57 girls and women and 15 boys from the 1950s onwards, becoming widely publicized only after the former presenter's death in 2011.
While damning, the report has been seen as a letdown to some, with Liz Dux, specialist abuse lawyer and legal representative for many of Savile's victims, calling it "disappointing" and "nothing more than an expensive whitewash," according to the BBC. Dux stated that despite the findings, her clients "will always be left with that feeling - is everything known about? Do we know the full picture?"
Director-general of the BBC Tony Hall apologized on behalf of the corporation for the report's findings, telling reporters that "what this terrible episode tells us is that fame is power, a very strong form of power... and like all power, it must be held to account. It must be challenged and it must be scrutinized. And it wasn't."
