UK police say 300 possible victims in BBC abuse scandal

LONDON - Agence France-Presse

BBC director-general George Entwistle leaves his home in south London, October 23, 2012. REUTERS Photo

British police investigating alleged child sex abuse by late BBC television star Jimmy Savile have uncovered around 300 possible victims, a senior officer said today.
 
Some of the allegations involve other abusers who may have acted with the entertainer, who died last year aged 84, Commander Peter Spindler of London's Metropolitan Police said.
 
All but two of the alleged victims are female, he said.
 
The inquiry, which has plunged the British Broadcasting Corporation into crisis, is a "watershed" moment in the investigation of child abuse in Britain, Spindler said.
 
Police said they had spoken to 130 of the 300 victims who had come forward and formally recorded 114 crimes. They are speaking to victims initially by telephone before formally interviewing them.
 
Known for his distinctive platinum hair, shiny tracksuits and ever-present cigar, Savile was one of Britain's top broadcasters and presented a string of programmes that brought him into contact with children.
 
He also earned millions of pounds for various charities.
 
But the abuse allegations that emerged since his death in October 2011 have destroyed his reputation.
 
The BBC has launched two inquiries into the scandal.
 
Earlier Thursday British newspapers reported that police investigating the Savile case had been passed the names of three doctors accused of sexually abusing children.
 
The doctors worked at hospitals where Savile is also alleged to have molested young and vulnerable patients while carrying out charity work, the Guardian and the Daily Mail newspapers reported.