Jimmy Savile: The Legacy of Abuse – Exposing Institutional Failures and Protecting Children with Simon Bailey

How was Jimmy Savile able to abuse children and vulnerable people for decades while surrounded by powerful institutions, public admiration and extraordinary access? In this powerful episode of True Criminals, Martin Brunt and Helen Fospero examine one of the most significant safeguarding failures in modern British history, exploring how opportunities to stop a prolific offender were repeatedly missed and what those failures continue to teach us today.

Joining us is Simon Bailey, former Chief Constable of Norfolk Constabulary, former National Police Chiefs' Council Lead for Child Protection, who led Operation Hydrant following the exposure of Savile's crimes, and now Chair of Trustees of Embrace Child Survivors of Crime. Drawing on decades of policing experience, Simon explains how the revelations surrounding Savile transformed the investigation of child sexual abuse, why survivors often remain silent for years, and how policing, healthcare and public institutions have changed in response. Together, we discuss the importance of believing and supporting survivors while ensuring investigations remain fair, evidence-led and focused on justice.

Support Information

This podcast contains discussions of child sexual abuse and exploitation, which some listeners may find upsetting or distressing. If anything discussed in this episode resonates with you, your child, or someone you know, please remember that free, specialist support is available.

Embrace Child Survivors of Crime, proud partners of True Criminals, are a national children's charity providing free specialist support to children, young people and families affected by serious crime, including child sexual abuse. Embrace offers remote emotional support and counselling for children and young people aged 11 and over, helping them process trauma, understand their feelings, rebuild confidence and begin their recovery.

For parents and carers, Embrace delivers You Are Enough™, a free, therapist-facilitated peer support programme for adults supporting a child who has experienced sexual abuse. Delivered remotely over ten sessions, the programme provides a safe, supportive space to connect with others who understand, process the impact of trauma, and access practical guidance to help families move forward.

To learn more about the support available, or to make a referral for yourself or your family, please visit Embrace Child Survivors of Crime.

https://www.embracecsoc.org.uk

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Connect with Martin Brunt

Follow Martin on Twitter at ⁠⁠@skymartinbrunt⁠⁠. Discover more about his career and the cases he’s covered by reading his book, No One Got Cracked Over the Head for No Reason: Dispatches from a Crime Reporter, available here: ⁠⁠https://amzn.eu/d/g1WisSY⁠⁠.

Connect with Helen Fospero Follow Helen on Instagram at ⁠⁠@helenfospero⁠⁠ and check out her podcast, The Convex Conversation, here: ⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-convex-conversation/id1510209575⁠⁠.

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