Savile statue moved from pool after rape claims

Senior reporter

Wednesday 3 October 2012

A STATUE of Sir Jimmy Savile has been removed from its site alongside a Glasgow children's pool as police launch a fresh investigation into a woman's claims he raped her when she was a child.

RELOCATED: Claims of abuse against Jimmy Savile have led to the carving being removed from a leisure centre. Main picture: Getty Images

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GERRY BRAIDEN

The alleged rape is said to have taken place in London in the 1970s.

Police also revealed Savile had been investigated in 2008 during an inquiry into an indecent assault at a Jersey children's home in the 1970s, but there had been insufficient evidence to proceed with a case.

Another alleged victim, Dee Coles, said Savile forced her and a friend to perform sex acts during a family holiday in Jersey.Ms Coles, who was 14 at the time, said she was in awe of his personality.She added: "It was exciting being with someone on TV. How it made me feel at the time? Panic soon as the door locked. Afterwards, it was shame."The BBC said it was "horrified" by the allegations and revealed it had asked its investigations unit to contact police forces which are looking into the claims.Savile's life-sized wooden carving has sat at Scotstoun Leisure Centre since the mid-1990s and was put there in honour of the charity cam- paigner's participation in fun runs and marathons in Glasgow.However, claims Savile sexually abused a string of teenage girls at the height of his fame made in an ITV documentary, The Other Side of Jimmy Savile, to be broadcast tonight, prompted the council-owned trust which runs Glasgow's leisure centres to remove it from public view.A spokesman for Glasgow Life said: "Given the current controversy and the seriousness of the allegations, we thought it appropriate to move the statue at this time."Despite sitting next to the children's pool at Scotstoun since around 1995, many in both the city council and Glasgow Life were unaware it even existed.It was created by a former council worker, Gordon Joss, and was recognisable when first installed largely by the large cigar it was holding. That was stolen more than a decade ago, and most pool users are oblivious to who the statue represents.According to senior council sources, most officials and councillors who were involved in the running of the leisure department in the mid-1990s have long left and retired.One councillor, who met Savile several times in the 1990s but asked not to be named, told The Herald: "Our view was Jimmy did an awful lot of good for the city at this time."He was the face of the fun runs and the marathons, gave us publicity and hosted dinners."For Glasgow in those days that was good publicity and we appreciated that. Given what's come out, I suppose there was no choice but to move it."When asked what would happen to the statue, one council insider said: "If you've seen the final scene of Raiders Of The Lost Ark where they put it in a box in a warehouse never to be seen again I reckon something like that."It's origins are lost in the midst of time. It was one of those oddities that now we all know the existence of really had to be packed away somewhere."Last year, friends of Savile suggested the statue should be relocated to the city's prestigious Kelvingrove Museum or the People's Palace. At the time a council official said it should stay where it is "to inspire athletes".A BBC spokesman said: "We are horrified by allegations that anything of this sort could have happened at the BBC, or have been carried out by anyone working for the BBC."We have asked the BBC investigations unit to make direct contact with all the police forces in receipt of allegations and offer to help them investigate these matters and provide support to any lines of inquiry that they wish to pursue."

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Savile statue moved from pool after rape claims

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