Botched police probe let sick Savile escape justice

POLICE squandered the best chance of bringing Jimmy Savile to justice by failing to carry out basic checks which would have blown apart his sex abuse denials.

Opportunities were missed to further investigate Jimmy Savile Opportunities were missed to further investigate Jimmy Savile

Contained within the interview are statements made by Savile that could have been further ­investigated

Detective ­Superintendent Jon Savell

In 2009, two years after first being informed he was a paedophile, Surrey police wrote to him to request an interview.

He was then told by phone of the allegations and had four months to prepare for what has been ­described as a “chat” with ­detectives.

Incredibly, Savile was allowed to dictate where the two officers would speak to him.

The TV presenter chose a room at the hospital where he was said to have attacked at least one of his victims.

He then denied allegations made by three women and attempted to discredit their claims.

But his version of events went unchallenged and a decision was made not to charge him.

A source with knowledge of the flawed investigation said simple checks with former hospital and school staff could have demolished Savile’s claims, including one where he falsely claimed he had never given girls a lift in his car.

“Had they spoken to any staff they could have discovered what Savile was saying was untrue,” said the source.

An internal review by Surrey police confirms the failings of the investigation, which was called Operation Ornament.

The report, by Detective ­Superintendent Jon Savell, says: “Contained within the interview are statements made by Savile that could have been further ­investigated to challenge him at a later date but fundamentally he gave no alibi or made any admissions.”

After being given a “verbal update” and a summary of the interview, a lawyer with the Crown Prosecution Service told police there was “clearly insufficient evidence to charge the suspect with any criminal offence”.

But flaws in the Crown ­Prosecution Service’s (CPS) ­involvement in the case have also been unearthed.

A review by Alison Levitt QC criticised the lawyer’s decision-making and said Savile, who died in 2011, aged 84, could have been charged with sex offences. Her report, which revealed the original CPS file on the case was destroyed in October 2010, said: “I have reservations about the way in which the prosecutor reached his decision.

“Having spoken to the victims I conclude that had the police and prosecutors taken a different approach a prosecution might have been possible.”

There are now calls for a detailed investigation into the CPS failings.

The lawyer involved has since retired but Portia Ragnauth, now deputy chief Crown prosecutor for the south-east, had “ultimate responsibility for the decisions of all the lawyers in her area”.

A review by her boss, Roger Coe-Salazar, which said it was the “right decision” not to prosecute is also set to be looked at.