Jimmy Savile: Saint or sinner?

[flipnflap]

or both?

[Duncer]

There is a world of difference between finding a group of people, be it young boys, older girls or younger girls, and using your fame and celebrity to act upon your urges or, to be more accurate, prey upon them, if that is what he did?

[VHG]

And if we go back to the Beatles, the reason Brian Epstein (who was gay) signed the Beatles was that he saw them performing in their leather gear.

Brian Epstein liked a bit of "rough trade" and fancied John Lennon in his leather something rotten.

I know all the Beatles were over age at the time, but sexual attraction has had a lot of influence over musical careers since pop music began.

Mariah Carey's career was almost totally down to the fact her manager / producer fancied her and went out with her, and therefore pushed her career more than he might if she has just been another ordinairy looking girl.

Dont ever underestimate the link between the pop world and sex.

[ummmm]

VHG, I think you have this a bit mixed up. Jimmy Savile wasn't a pop star! Nor was he a manager! Nor did he have girls screaming for him! He's accused of grooming girls which means he manipulated them.

[Duncer]

Is there duncer? I would've thought they were both called predatory.

As I said, there is world of difference between having urges and acting on them?

[emmie]

the word has been around a long time about his activities, it was largely ignored i suspect because of his charitable works, now he has died the gloves are off. Not sure saint or sinner, but one claim that has come out is that he raped a girl, if so that would negate all good works.

[ichkeria]

I don't think Jimmy Savile, whether saint or sinner (or both) ever set himself up as a saint. That's how he was perceived by many people.
I recall hearing that he was very sensitive about allegations that he was a paedophile, and used to (so it was said) often behave in quite a distant fashion with children so as not to feed the rumours.

[emmie]

that was not the opinion for what it's worth of Esther Rantzen on the news last evening. She said that these were not just rumours and that the facts about him had been known about for many years. No one did anything because of his position and especially his charity works. One woman detailed walking in on him kissing a young girl who she believed was around 14 years old. I heard rumours about him years ago, circulating around the BBC.

[ladybirder]

Why didn't Esther Ranzten, as the voice of Childline?? say something about it then, if she knew of these rumours, as she has said she did? If someone like her, with her high profile, kept quiet, it's no surprise these young children did.

[DTCwordfan]

Dig him up and ask him.

[ummmm]

Maybe she did. They can't do anything without evidence. If none of the girls had made a complaint it's just rumours and hearsay.

[ummmm]

Leering at young girls is not illegal. If they didn't witness it what are they suppose to do?

[ummmm]

Witness any wrong doing, I mean.

[emmie]

don't think she was in a position to do so, particularly if they were not hard and fast facts, but gossip and rumour.
He also said that he didn't believe Gary Glitter did anything wrong, not suggesting that would make him a paedophile, just that maybe he didn't see it as wrong. We have seen the case of the young girl recently being beguiled by a teacher, and what is to say some of these young girls weren't in the same situation. Famous man, lots of money, they are easily led, the only problem is they were not willing and too young to understand.

[emmie]

if you don't personally see someone do those things, how are you going to know for sure. As i said the rumours have been around a long while even when i worked for Auntie Beeb

[ummmm]

I don't know who caught him leering. He did something to raise their suspicions. If they didn't catch him in the act what were they suppose to go to the police with?

The police can't arrest and charge someone because someone 'thinks' they're up to something dodgy.