Niven Sinclair – Three times convicted Child Rapist worked for the BBC for 30 years

There is no doubt that Niven James Sinclair was a very successful businessman. He built a specialist minicab business, a high end chaffeur firm for TV, from a single car, transporting guests for Panorama in 1977 to 150 cars in 2000 [11]. He ended up doing all the work for the BBC at Lime Grove.

The only trouble was he was a three times convicted child abuser, and multiple child rapist.

There are 3 court appeals with information about Niven James Sinclair and his child sexual abuse crimes. For these check out my three other posts on the Court appeals [17] [18] [19]

He sexually abused and raped several boys 12 -15 years old. His method of grooming was to offer boys money for doing odd jobs. He would meet some boys on Stanmore Common [18] near Harrow, which could have been a gay cruising ground  [10].

He would also procure boys through other boys he knew. He would offer boys food and drink [17], then assault them. He was also known to threaten boys with an illegally held gun [19]. He had a violence conviction in Africa, though not sexually related [17]

He has traded under and used several different company names at different times, BB Communications Ltd 19/06/1984, B B Communications Ltd 06/12/1988, Lime Grove Cars Ltd 27/07/1988, B.B. Enterprises (Vehicles) 30/08/1990 [40], Niven Ltd 1717194 dissolved 2009 [34], Niven and Co, Helevision Ltd, Trident Heritage t/a Trident Niven [36]

Without more research it is uncertain whether Sinclair is still actually working for the BBC or one of these companies, or whether he has retired. However what is absolutely certain is that for nearly 30 years, from 1977 to 2005, a multiple child rapist was working for the BBC [1], and the BBC either still does not know or has kept this fact hidden.

In the seventies and eighties MI5 were vetting people at the BBC [20], although they say they have now stopped ;-) .

• Why did MI5 not find out that Niven Sinclair was a child abuser from basic checks?
• Were MI5 hopelessly incompetent or did they know that he was a child rapist?
• Did the “Security Service” MI5 know of his child abuse and realise this was another man that could be controlled by blackmail, to do as the controllers of MI5, whoever they are, wished?

It also a begs a host of questions about the BBC

• Why did the BBC’s procedures not pick up that Niven Sinclair was a three convicted abuser?
• Did the BBC know Sinclair was an abuser but not care?
• Did Niven Sinclairs companies ever chauffeur children?
• What safeguarding procedures did the BBC have in place for children at the time who used an approved BBC chauffeur company?
• What safeguarding procedures are in place now?
• Which companies are the approved chauffeur companies now and can the BBC guarantee that there are none who are run by convicted child rapists?
• Were any children abused whilst being transported by a Sinclair company working for the BBC?
• Given all the attention on the BBC and child abuse, and with reviews about Jimmy Savile, Stuart Hall, and re-examination of child protection procedures why has the fact Niven Sinclair, who worked for the BBC for over 30 years, not been identified as a convicted child abuser?
• Does the BBC still have any business dealings with Niven Sinclair or his companies or companies or parts thereof that used to owned by him?
• Which company did Dave Smith, Jimmy Saviles chauffeur work for? Did he work for Sinclairs company, or were there two chauffeur companies used by the BBC that had child abusers?  Jimmy Savile chauffeur Dave Smith was ‘prolific paedophile’ with 22 convictions Telegraph [25] [25a]

BBC Janet Smith Review [29]

Janet Smith Report Vol 1 Conclusions and Summaries pdf [60a] bbc [29a]

Janet Smith Report Volume 2 pdf  [60b] bbc [29b] 

The Janet Smith Review Part 2 includes information and her thoughts [p461-p471 8.22] about the story of another chauffeur of 13 years who worked via a private hire company for the BBC. p461 – 471 8.22 The Daily Mail – 1 October 2012 – Source Anonymous ‘A1’Chauffeur of 13 years worked for BBC via a private hire company [60b]

This reveals that the chauffeurs did drive unaccompanied children, this particular child the driver having been suspected of being abused by Savile. The chauffeur felt pressure to hide any allegations for fear of the sack.

Who did he work for? Was he working for Niven Sinclair and was the sack a possibility as his own boss was a child abuser? This part is speculative but the BBC needs to come clean.

The story was originally from The Daily Mail [30] after the BBC had failed to publish an expose of Jimmy Savile on Newsnight. An expose eventually came a couple of days after the Mail article, from ITV in a programme called Exposure The Other Side of Jimmy Savile  [32] and was perhaps the watershed moment for child sexual abuse in the UK.
Tony Hall, Director General at the BBC, made a statement in Feb 2016 after the Janet Smith Review [31] The following were some of the things he said that they were doing

We now have a new child protection policy, shared across the industry, and a detailed procedure for complaints.

We have child protection advisers, working together across the organisation.

We have also put in place an improved whistle-blowing policy, supported by an independent investigations unit.

And we’ve brought in a wide-ranging set of measures to encourage people to raise concerns about bullying and harassment – with a confidential hotline, independent experts assigned to cases and a service to allow mediation to take place wherever possible.

We’ve also wanted to make sure that these changes were achieving what we wanted them to do. So, in March 2014, we asked some external and independent experts – the GoodCorporation – to audit our policies, to make sure they were fit for purpose and to recommend improvements.

They found that the BBC has strong child protection policies in place and that our whistle-blowing policy ranks well compared to other organisations. But they also made 53 recommendations for improvement. Of those, 51 are now complete, one is underway and in one case we have agreed to take forward what needs to be done in a different way.

Dame Janet recommends, review all our policies and procedures in light of her report. I have asked Anne Bulford, the BBC’s Managing Director of Finance and Operations to lead this work, reporting to me. That work will identify any areas where we need to do more. Anne’s work will help us make sure that is the case. And we will publish our progress in full, in July, alongside our Annual Report.

On child protection, we will work with the NSPCC to get their advice on how to help us build on what we are currently doing.

And we will, as Dame Janet asks, commission another independent audit to assess our progress, to test our systems and to see how our policies are operating in practice. This work will report in the autumn and – whatever recommendations are made – we will carry them out.

I want the BBC to do more as a programme-maker

Dame Janet says we should look carefully at three areas – a lack of cohesion in the BBC, the hierarchical nature of the management structure, and our attitudes toward ‘the talent’. These are all crucial issues – ones we are thinking about already and which we will push forward on in the coming months.

..where everyone feels able to speak truth to power.

It was said by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Maria Miller  in 2012 “It is now crucial that we understand what went wrong and how it can be put right.” Hansard [28]

Has that happened? We have had reviews, more reviews, audits, statements, changes, promised changes, but…. if we have not been told that a convicted child abuser was ferrying people round for the BBC for 30 years, then clearly we still cannot trust what the BBC has done to put things right.

If Niven Sinclair has not been identified as a convicted serial child rapist, or has been identified but that fact hidden from the public, the BBC has STILL not learnt the lessons. We still do not understand what went wrong in the BBC.

• Anne Bulfords report having reviewed all BBC policies and procedures is due very soon any time now, in July
• Independent Report testing systems and procedures is due to report in the autumn
• NSPCC have/are advising BBC on child protection – What have they advised?
• BBC to take lead on child abuse as aprogramme maker – what has happened?
• Has the Good Corporation report audit been made public?
• Child Protection Guidelines changed in 2002, as recorded in Hansard [28]. Child protection changes also in c. 2016 [31] They is available here [27] – Quite apart from the new guidelines, it would be helpful to show how they had changed and evolved over time.
• Can people really speak Truth to Power? Perhaps the BBC would convince people if Meirion Jones was to be commissioned to make a programme on child sexual abuse, instead of sacking a whistleblower on the very programme that was to expose Savile, that senior management withdrew.

There are a plethora of stories about Niven Sinclair. How many are true, how many are exaggerations and how many are false is a matter of conjecture without further research. One member of the Sinclair family is reported to blame Niven for much of the myth [24]

• Clan Sinclair Trust is a Limited Company with Charitable Status, Company number SC194021, [45] It was set up in 1998 by Niven Sinclair, Ian Sinclair, Euan Sinclair, The Earl of Caithness and The Viscount Thurso (aka John Thurso MP) [37] Niven was only a Director for only a short time 4 March – 18 July 1999 though he was still involved for several years afterwards. The library was named after him [45] . The Trust own Castle Sinclair [43] whose current patron, since 2010, is Prince Charles [42], who replaced the Queen Mother [44]. This story appears to be true.
• Niven claimed to be a Major in the Seaforth Highlanders, and with the Kings African Rifles in Ethiopea and Burma in World War 2? [6]  He was in the Seaforth in 1945 as a 2nd Lieutenant as an emergency commission [38] He was still in the Seaforth in 1951 and another emergency commission as a Hon Lieutenant. [39] So far there is no evidence that he became a Major, nor yet that he was in Kings African Rifles.
• Did Sinclair spend a “large part of his post World War 2 life establishing a magnificent cashew plantation in Tanzania which employed 500 persons, until he was evicted at independence”[7a] . Was Sinclair really farming in Tanganika for 30 years? [6]. He was still in the Seaforth Highlanders in 1951 [39] and he was in England in 1957, that only leaves a few years at most to be a farmer. During his time in Tanganika he was sentenced for actual bodily abuse [17] If the farming story is true at all, the length of time spent is vastly exaggerated.
• Was he a member of the Bayeye, the secret snake society of the Basakuma tribe who lived near Lake Victoria? Did he have a snake named after him, the bitus gabonica sinclairi (A Gaboon Viper), of which samples were sent to the UK by the famous Big Game Hunter and herpetologist, Constantine Ionides [7a]
• Has he really found a Templars connection to his family which landed in America 100 years before Columbus? [3]  [48]
• Is he really a descendant of Jesus? [61] [4]
• Is he even really chair of the Friends of Rosslyn? [6]
• Is there even a family tree to link Niven Sinclair to the Templars and Rossyln?
• Is he a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries (Scotland) [6]
• Does Niven Sinclair hold any offices now and if so, do the people responsible and around him know he is a serial child rapist?

What is the truth about this serial child rapist that worked for the BBC? Is he a psychopathic fantasist?

How much money does Niven Sinclair have? Perhaps it should go to some of his victims to help them heal.

[updated 2016 Jul 19] There is a National Archives that appears to be on Niven Sinclair, see [54] National Archives is notoriously difficult to search, and his name has been redacted for some reason. However the information came via comments here [55] which someone was kind enough to pass on. I have now asked National Archives for a review [56] of the fact that his name has been redacted and that it closed for 82 years.

[Update 2016 Oct ]- I have been informed that Niven Sinclair was still abusing teenage boys in the early to mid 1990’s . He used to offer money for helping round the office and had a flat at Lime Grove.

Timeline of Niven James Sinclair

[There is also more information in the links below]

1924 Apr 3 Niven Sinclair born [8] [9] probable twin of John George Sinclair [8]

c. 1940 -1915 Sinclair claims he was a Major in the Seaforth Highlanders and Kings African Rifles in Ethiopea and Burma in World War 2 [6]

1945  The Gazette [38] – Niven is granted an “Emerg. Commn” from the ranks to 2nd Lieutenant

1951 The Gazette [39] – Sinclair was promoted to a Lieutenant

c.1946 -1976? Sinclair claims to have farmed in Tanganika for 30 years [6]

Whilst working in Tanganika he received sentences for actual bodily harm, but with no sexual element [17]

1957 Niven Sinclair came to London, held commercial posts with salaries in excess of £2,000 per annum, and was described during the later 1966 proceedings as a company director [17]

1961 Jun Sinclair Trial 1. He was sentenced to six months imprisonment for indecent assault upon two boys [17]

1963,1964,1965 Electoral registers showing Niven Sinclair is in England [9]

1966 Mar 10 Sinclair Trial 2 He was convicted of buggery on one boy and indecent assaults on the same boy and another, both 12 years old. Later sentenced to five years imprisonment [17]

1967 Oct 16 Niven James Sinclair Appeal 1 Court of Appeal Turned down [17]

1970 Offences of Sinclair and child sexual abuse  [18]

1970 Sept 3 Police interviewed and arrested Sinclair [19]

1971 May 14 Sinclair Trial 3 After trial of 12 working days, Sinclair was sentenced to ten years imprisonment for buggery and indecent assault against four thirteen and fourteen year old boys. He had previously pleaded guilty on April 22nd to 3 offences of regarding possessing  a Beretta automatic pistol without a firearm certificate [18]

1973 Feb 6 Niven James Sinclair Appeal 2 Court of Appeal Leave to Appeal Granted [18]

1973 Jul 23 Niven James Sinclair Appeal 3 Court of Appeal, Appeal against sentence dismissed [19]

c.1976 Released from Prison

1977 Sinclair began with a single car on a three day job driving guests to the BBC Lime Grove studios for Panorama. Before long his company Niven Limited was running all Lime Grove’s transport [2] [11]

1981 Sinclair claims to have transported Ted Heath after President Sadat was assassinated [2]

1986 approx -2004 Niven James Sinclair of 35 Lime Grove, London, W12 8EE [46]

1991 Sinclairs Hellevision Ltd Company dissolved [21]

1992 Sinclair donated £200,000 to the Orcadian Trust  [48] He also claims Scotland visited America before Columbus

1999 Mar One of the Joint Founders of the Clan Sinclair Trust [37]

2000 Jul History of the Sinclairs by Marc Anderson [7a]. This states that Niven Sinclair has spent a large part of his post World War 2 life establishing a magnificent cashew plantation in Tanzania which employed 500 persons, until he was evicted at independence.  It carries on “He was also a member of the Bayeye, the secret snake society of the Basakuma tribe who lived near Lake Victoria. It was from them he learned how to handle snakes with relative impunity and he had a snake named after him, the bitus gabonica sinclairi (A Gaboon Viper), which samples were sent to the UK by the famous Big Game Hunter and herptologist, Constantine Ionides”

2000 Aug 10 Guardian [11] Disgrace and favours Sinclair sidelined by Dyke to save money, but has to be brought back due to incompetence of cheaper companies. [11]

2001 Sept 3  Niven called a “progressive Islamic savant” [13] Also a reference to Niven Corporation

2002- 16  Sinclair living in South East England [21]

London address Shepherds BushW12 

2004 Niven James Sinclair of Latheron House, Latheron KW5 6DL only in 2004

2005 May 13 Scotsman [3] Ship of Dreams Niven Sinclair claims that a Scottish Knight Templar landed in North America 100 years before Columbus

2005 Sept 20 BBC Ariel [2] via Clan Sinclair Still full of drive after all these years Niven Ltd moving from Lime Grove to White City. 

2005 Sept 25 BBC [1] A driving force behind BBC shows

2006 Oct 6 Daily Mail  [12] ‘Unclean’ guide dog banned by Muslim cab driver

2009 Sinclair’s company- Niven Ltd  Dissolved in 2009  [34] (trading from 1983) Revolution House, Cumberland Park NW10

2009 Sept 14  [6]  Zoom Info Mr. Niven Sinclair Claims to be Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries (Scotland)

2012 Oct 3 ITV [32] Exposure The Other Side of Jimmy Savile 

2012 Dec Transdev plc website Trident Niven [26] Acquired by Transdev plc, Trident Niven is a London-based private hire company which uses chauffeured executive and ‘green’ saloon cars for corporate account work. They have a fleet of 100 cars, including a large proportion of hybrid vehicles which complements the greentomatocars philosophy.

Uncertain date, clip of National Geographic [4] uploaded onto You Tube 2016 Jan 27 Niven Sinclair claiming that he is a descendant of Jesus.

2016 Jul 9 Freedom of Information request [47]  Niven Sinclair, Convicted Child Rapist working for the BBC

Also mentioned Priory of Sion Niven Sinclair [61]

The majority of this article was researched by someone who wishes no credit. I merely put most of the information together in a blog.

[updated 2016 Jul 17] A mainstream journalist contacted me about the story as he was considering following it up. He said that he  do not want to do anything that would hinder my own investigations or deter my sources so wanted to check with me that would be ok. He also promised to reference me as a source. That is a good journalist.

Totally unconnnected to the above the Sunday People decided to run a story based on my work. They did not contact me. They have not credited me. They ran the story online, the link is here [50] . The journalists credited are @SimonBoyle87 @Nick_Dorman @SelbyMirror.

Alan Selby @SelbyMirror “Award-winning Sunday Mirror reporter” at least had the courage to follow me on twitter so we could at least have a more at length exchange. However he claims he was just given the information to go and interview Niven Sinclair and says that he never saw my blogpost – some research for an interview. Interestingly he says that Simon Boyle would anwer my questions about how they came across the Court appeals.

Simon Boyle “Showbiz Columnist/Editor” dissembled until finally admitting he has used my story, but appears to think it ok because he received an anonymous tip off by telephone. He has so far not answered where he found the Court appeal documents. Nick Dorman the Crime reporter has not replied.

I spend a great deal of time researching and writing  articles on child sexual abuse, with others who contribute massively and sometimes more than I do, which was the case for this article. I do this to help victims and survivors who have suffered horrendously and whose stories have been covered up by the powerful and the rich.

Most victims and survivors suffer greatly throughout their lives and never heal. They are often denied the help they need, and even the fact that the abuse happened.

I list my sources so that others may use my research to take the story further and they are not to be used for making money. It is bad enough when corporate “journalists” rip off my work off and use it to make money. It is even worse when they present it as their own and exclusive and further, they refuse to give me credit. Then when called out they hide behind the fact that some sources were public.

The bottom line is that there would be no Mirror article if it was not for my post. They know that full well. Nick Davies wote about this type of journalism, his website Flat Earth News [51] and his book Flat Earth News on Amazon [52]

Yes its partly “the system”, the “machine” we are all in, but as indiviiduals we can choose to join the machine or to oppose it when it is wrong.

What is the big deal @SimonBoyle87 @Nick_Dorman @SelbyMirror about crediting me for my work, as I credit you for yours? Is truth a one way street? Why is it ok for you to rip me and survivors off for money without even a credit?

Simon Boyles even had the gall to suggest to me “if your intentions are honourable you would be pleased” – like he understands what honourable means! Alan Selby resorted to saying  that I was suggesting a “conspiracy”, the old tactic to accuse me and deflect away from his own misddeds. Laughably Selby suggested that if I was keen to avoid any “confusion” in future that I take a more proactive approach and create a “professional” dialogue with either their newspaper or another national newspaper.

“Confusion” is his euphemism for the Sunday People stealing my story and not crediting me. Again he attempts ot put the blame on me, rather than the fact that they stole my story. Of course it would be far better if national newspaper acted honourably and credited the source of their stories, but that appears to zoom way over his head. And of course the national papers dont steal stories from each other! There is no honour amongst thieves.

It has been drawn to my attention that Alan Selby has previous  2016 Feb 14 Sell your story Alison Smith-Squire Alan Selby and a spot of byline banditry…[53]

No boys, you are ones who need to examine your consciences and your actions. Please give me due credit. Is that really too much to ask?

They remind me of 3 boys caught stealing a car. The driver avoids answering whether the car is theirs but blurts out anything he can think of. He says they were tipped off where the car was, so its ok. He then says the car is theirs because they added a horn and mirrors to it and besides the bits making up the car can be found anywhere. They all nod vigorously. He then refuses to answer any more questions about where the car bits really did actually come from. The boy in the passenger seat refuses to say anything. The little boy in the back pipes up, that he was just told what to do and did it. Thats what we do, he says. Besides, he accuses, you should have had mirrors and a horn.

What they will not do is to examine themselves. They are happy taking money and orders from someone else at the @TheSundayPeople, quite happy that their names go on a stolen story, quite happy that they give me no credit, no apology for using all my and others work that went into the story, without which they would not even have had story, quite happy to attack my integrity and say I should be happy that they stole it if my motives were sound, quite happy to tell me to be more proactive and go into cahoots with national papers first to avoid my story being stolen.

The answer to stop my story being stolen in future is to to tell me to join their band of thieves or another one! You see its my fault!! Their use of the word professional seems to be a cross between how it is used in the phrase “professional foul” and the word “criminal”.

They piss their pants whilst caught in the car, but at the end of the day they have the backing of a huge corporation who will use the money, power and statute law and the imbalance between them and a member of the public or any author, to crush any complaints, so all they have to sit tight and ignore their lack of morality for a while.

They escape with urine soaked pants, red faces and the stolen car, to commit the same crime again and again.

They will not examine themselves or their behaviour as they know it is wrong and they are cowardly. They know they work in a corrupt industry and know that to examine their consciences would mean that they have to stand up to the corruption or get out to be a moral human being.

It is easy to be a parasite and claim others work as your own, it is more honourable to credit others for their work, and your minimal contribution to be assessed for what it is. And this is the very least you should do. Its obscene that “journalists” and lawyers think its fine to make money out of child sexual abuse.

The print story laughingly labelled exclusive is here in the Sunday People 17 Jul 2016. Naturally it is sensationalised with a picture of Heath, who has nothing to do with the story apart from having been driven once by Sinclair. They even had a list of questions in my blog that they could have used, their own miserable addition to the story in the last two paragraphs.

Please note that victims of abuse may be triggered by reading this information. These links are generally UK based.

The Sanctuary for the Abused [A] has advice on how to prevent triggers.

National Association for People Abused in Childhood [B] has a freephone helpline and has links to local support groups.

Other useful sites are One in Four [C]

and Havoca [D].

Useful post on Triggers [E]  from SurvivorsJustice [F] blog.

Jim Hoppers pages on Mindfulness [G]  and Meditation [H] may be useful.

Hwaairfan blog An Indigenous Australian Approach to Healing Trauma  [J]

Survivors UK for victims and survivors of male rape or the sexual abuse of men [K]

Voicing CSA group [L] helps arrange survivors meetings in your area

Links

[1] 2005 Sept 25 BBC A driving force behind BBC shows http://news.bbc.co.uk/newswatch/ukfs/hi/newsid_4260000/newsid_4267000/4267060.stm

[2]  2005 Sept 20 BBC Ariel via Clan Sinclair Still full of drive after all these years http://www.clansinclairsc.org/Niven%20Sinclair%20Article.htm

[3] 2005 May 13 Scotsman Ship of Dreams http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/the-ship-of-dreams-1-465432

[4] date? National Geographic via You Tube uploaded 2016 Jan 27 Niven Sinclair – A descendant of Jesus https://youtu.be/Bt7CVkYsnwE

[5] 1999 approx. History of Clan Sinclair http://sinclair.quarterman.org/history/

[6] 2009 Sept 14 Zoom Info Mr. Niven Sinclair http://www.zoominfo.com/p/Niven-Sinclair/45600099

[7] 2000 Jul Kingcrest.com History of the Sinclairs http://kingcrest.com/sinclair/Sinclair_History.html-ssi [7a] archive https://web.archive.org/web/20170402062316/http://kingcrest.com/sinclair/Sinclair_History.html-ssi

[8] Find A grave Niven James Sinclair http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=133594423&ref=acom

[9]

[9a] https://www.ancestry.com/

[10] REPORT ON THE WEST LONDON GAY MEN’S PROJECT STANMORE COMMON PSE NEEDS ASSESSMENT pdf download 2010 http://www.gaymensproject.org.uk/resources/profs-reports/reports.html?download=25:stanmore-common-pse-2010

[11] 2000 Aug 10 Guardian Disgrace and favours .theguardian.com/theguardian/2000/aug/10/features11.g2

 [12] 2006 Oct 6 Daily Mail  ‘Unclean’ guide dog banned by Muslim cab driver http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-408912/Unclean-guide-dog-banned-Muslim-cab-driver.html

Niven’s and Co cab firm,  now Trident Niven after being acquired in 2012

[13] 2001 Sept 3 Michael Bradley Info Esau’s Empire, Foundation: the psychobiology of religion http://michaelbradley.info/esau/esau-chapter2.htm Reference to Niven Corporation here, also called progressive Islamic savant

[14] British History website Great Stanmore http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/middx/vol5/pp88-96

[15] 2016 Nov 6 Get West London Former Stanmore man and ‘pillar of the Jewish community’ jailed for instructing child abuse over Skype http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/west-london-news/former-stanmore-man-pillar-jewish-8064710

[16] Wikipedia Stanmore https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanmore

[17] 2016 July 7 Cathy Fox Blog Court Appeal 1 Niven James Sinclair Appeal 1 16 Oct 1967 Court of Appeal https://cathyfox.wordpress.com/2016/07/09/appeal-1niven-james-sinclair-16-oct-1967-court-of-appeal/

As to the application for leave to appeal against sentence, the appellant, now 43, is a single man. He worked in Tanganyika and he received 3 sentences there for assault occasioning actual bodily harm, but there is no suggestion of any sexual element at all. He came to London in 1957, and has held posts with commercial concerns at salaries exceeding £2,000 per annum. In June of 1961 at the London Sessions for indecent assault upon two boys of 12 and 13 he was sentenced to concurrent terms of six months’ imprisonment.

[18] 2016 Jul 7 Cathy Fox Blog Appeal 2 Niven James Sinclair 6 Feb 1973 Court of Appeal  https://cathyfox.wordpress.com/2016/07/09/appeal-2-niven-james-sinclair-6-feb-1973-court-of-appeal/ the Applicant, aged forty-six at the time, single, and who lived alone in a maisonette in Stanmore. … boys, some of whom he met on Stanmore Common. … offences c.1970

[19] 2016 Cathy Fox Blog Appeal 3 Niven James Sinclair 24 Jul 1973 Court of Appeal https://cathyfox.wordpress.com/2016/07/09/appeal-3-niven-james-sinclair-24-jul-1973-court-of-appeal/ Police interviewed and arrested the Appellant on the 3rd September, 1970

[20] 2006 Jul 2 Revealed: how the BBC used MI5 to vet thousands of staff  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1522875/Revealed-how-the-BBC-used-MI5-to-vet-thousands-of-staff.html

[21] 192.com Niven Sinclair  http://www.192.com/atoz/people/sinclair/niven/

[23] Company check https://companycheck.co.uk/director/903216741/MR-NIVEN-J-SINCLAIR/summary

[24] World News Research http://world-news-research.com/grail.html Niven Sincalir behind much of myth

[25] 2013 Oct 29 Telegraph Jimmy Savile chauffeur Dave Smith was ‘prolific paedophile’ with 22 convictions http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/jimmy-savile/10410614/Jimmy-Savile-chauffeur-Dave-Smith-was-prolific-paedophile-with-22-convictions.html

[25a] archive https://archive.md/I7XrH

[26] Transdev plc http://www.transdevplc.co.uk/our-companies.jsp?companyID=13 Trident Niven Acquired by Transdev plc in December 2012, Trident Niven is a London-based private hire company which uses chauffeured executive and ‘green’ saloon cars for corporate account work. They have a fleet of 100 cars, including a large proportion of hybrid vehicles which complements the greentomatocars philosophy.

[27] BBC Child Protection Policy http://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/insidethebbc/howwework/policiesandguidelines/child_protection.html

[28] 2012 Oct 15 Hansard Sir Jimmy Savile (BBC Inquiry) Column 27 http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm121015/debtext/121015-0001.htm#1210154000708

As the House will be aware, the BBC has launched three separate investigations. The first will look into the allegations with regard to the item on Savile which was inappropriately pulled from “Newsnight”. The second review, to be undertaken when the police advise it is appropriate to do so, will focus on Jimmy Savile himself. Thirdly, although the BBC’s child protection policy was overhauled in 2002, the review will also focus on whether its policy is fit for purpose and what lessons can be learned. This review will be assisted by an independent expert. An additional piece of work will look at the very troubling allegations of sexual harassment at the BBC that have come to light in recent weeks. The director-general will give further details later in the week. These are undoubtedly very serious matters, which have wide-ranging implications for a number of public institutions—not just the BBC. It is now crucial that we understand what went wrong and how it can be put right.

[29] BBC Janet Smith Review http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/dame_janet_smith

[29a] Janet Smith Review [of Jimmy Savile BBC] pdf Download http://downloads.bbci.co.uk/bbctrust/assets/files/pdf/our_work/dame_janet_smith_review/conclusions_summaries.pdf  http://downloads.bbci.co.uk/bbctrust/assets/files/pdf/our_work/dame_janet_smith_review/savile/jimmy_savile_investigation.pdf

[29b] Janet Smith Review pdf download p461 – 471 8.22 The Daily Mail – 1 October 2012 – Source Anonymous ‘A1’Chauffeur of 13 years worked for BBC via a private hire company http://downloads.bbci.co.uk/bbctrust/assets/files/pdf/our_work/dame_janet_smith_review/savile/jimmy_savile_investigation.pdf

[30] 2012 Oct 1 The Daily Mail We were victims of Jimmy Savile http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2211463/Jimmy-Savile-As-pressure-grows-BBC-cover-women-come-forward-ordeals.html

[31] 2016 Feb 26 BBC Tony Hall response to the Report of the Dame Janet Smith Review  http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/statements/tony-hall-dame-janet-smith

part edited..

Let me now turn to action – to what we have been doing and what we are going to do.

Dame Janet makes one overarching recommendation: for the BBC to review and independently audit all the policies we have in place that help people raise concerns and complaints. We will do that.

But let me also be clear: since I became Director-General, we haven’t been standing still – we have made this a priority – and there is much we have done already:

We now have a new child protection policy, shared across the industry, and a detailed procedure for complaints.

We have child protection advisers, working together across the organisation.

We have also put in place an improved whistle-blowing policy, supported by an independent investigations unit.

And we’ve brought in a wide-ranging set of measures to encourage people to raise concerns about bullying and harassment – with a confidential hotline, independent experts assigned to cases and a service to allow mediation to take place wherever possible.

We’ve also wanted to make sure that these changes were achieving what we wanted them to do. So, in March 2014, we asked some external and independent experts – the GoodCorporation – to audit our policies, to make sure they were fit for purpose and to recommend improvements.

They found that the BBC has strong child protection policies in place and that our whistle-blowing policy ranks well compared to other organisations. But they also made 53 recommendations for improvement. Of those, 51 are now complete, one is underway and in one case we have agreed to take forward what needs to be done in a different way.

So there are many things we have done, and there are many more things we will have to do. Because we must never be complacent.

We will, as Dame Janet recommends, review all our policies and procedures in light of her report, and that of Dame Linda.

I have asked Anne Bulford, the BBC’s Managing Director of Finance and Operations to lead this work, reporting to me. That work will identify any areas where we need to do more.

I am committed – we are all committed – to creating a more open BBC where everyone has the confidence to raise issues and believe that something will be done about them.

I want the BBC to be a great place to work, a place where people come to do the best work of their lives.

Anne’s work will help us make sure that is the case. And we will publish our progress in full, in July, alongside our Annual Report.

But there are some things we can commit to today.

On whistle blowing, we will launch a campaign to do more to raise the awareness of staff to what they can do – and must do – and also where they can turn to for help.

On child protection, we will work with the NSPCC to get their advice on how to help us build on what we are currently doing.

And we will, as Dame Janet asks, commission another independent audit to assess our progress, to test our systems and to see how our policies are operating in practice. This work will report in the autumn and – whatever recommendations are made – we will carry them out.

But I also want to make a further commitment. I want the BBC to do more as a programme-maker – following on from the fine work done in this area in the past by Dame Esther Rantzen with Childline. We will, for example, work with the National Association for People Abused in Childhood, NAPAC, to raise awareness of the issues surrounding abuse.

On BBC One we have already commissioned a documentary called ‘The Abused’. This gives the opportunity for many survivors who came forward as part of Operation Yewtree to share what happened to them. I want us to be a forum for a national debate about child abuse and about how we can do more to support survivors.

For me, reflecting on both these reports, the importance of getting the culture right in our organisation is key.

When I came back to the BBC three years ago, at a time of crisis – this crisis – I could see that we needed to change. I visited teams from all over the UK who told me how proud they were to work for the BBC. How committed they are to the BBC. But, they told me that we needed to change.

We have changed, we are changing. But we have more to do.

Dame Janet says we should look carefully at three areas – a lack of cohesion in the BBC, the hierarchical nature of the management structure, and our attitudes toward ‘the talent’. These are all crucial issues – ones we are thinking about already and which we will push forward on in the coming months.

We are, for a start, building a simpler BBC with fewer divisions, fewer boards and fewer layers between the top of the organisation and the front line, with senior leaders who are more visible, accountable and approachable.

Where we work together as one team – for one BBC – with management that’s enabling and supports creativity. Management that demonstrates zero tolerance of bullying and harassment. Where the values that all of us who work here believe in – are the values we live, day by day.

And where everyone feels able to speak truth to power.

[32] 2012 Oct 3 ITV Exposure The Other Side of Jimmy Savile  http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xv03is_exposure-the-other-side-of-jimmy-savile-3th-oct-2012-full-documentary-itv_news

[33] Shield Mergers and Acquisitions Shield sells Radio Taxis Group’s private hire taxi firms to Trident Niven http://www.sellingabusinessformore.co.uk/RTG_deal.html

Trident Niven was in operation under that name in 2009 The BBC article about Sinclair mentions a move to NW10. If you Google “Niven NW10” up pops a lot for Trident Niven.  It’s address is Revolution House, Cumberland Park NW10

[34] Nexok Niven Limited Private Limited Company https://www.nexok.co.uk/company/01717194/niven-limited This was Sinclair’s company- Niven Ltd.  Dissolved in 2009  (trading from 1983) Revolution House, Cumberland Park NW10

[35] Company Director Check Andrew Iwanowski http://www.companydirectorcheck.com/andrew-iwanowski Trident heritage – Director Iwanowski

Trident Niven is/was definitely the same Niven outfit then. Trident Heritage was registered as a taxi business too. Andrew Iwanowski was also a director of Helevision.

[36] Linked In Thomas Gilder https://uk.linkedin.com/in/thomasgilder Trident Heritage T/A Trident Niven mentioned here. He also worked for TransDev plc

[37] The Clan Sinclair Trust http://www.castlesinclairgirnigoe.org/faq.html THE CLAN SINCLAIR TRUST What is the Clan Sinclair Trust? The Trust, a Limited Company with Charitable Status, was set up in 1998 by: Niven Sinclair; Ian Sinclair; Euan Sinclair;The Earl of Caithness; and The Viscount Thurso (aka John Thurso MP).

Who are the directors of the Trust? The Earl of Caithness, Viscount Thurso and Isla St Clair are the current directors/trustees.

[38] 1945  The Gazette – Niven is granted an “Emerg. Commn” from the ranks of 2nd Lt https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/37404/supplement/6278/data.pdf

[39] 1951 The Gazette – Sinclair was promoted to a lieutenant  https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/39157/supplement/1036/data.pdf

[40] Companies House Niven Ltd http://wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk//compdetails
Previous Names: Date of change Previous Name 30/08/1990 B B COMMUNICATIONS LIMITED 06/12/1988 LIME GROVE CARS LIMITED 27/07/1988 BB COMMUNICATIONS LIMITED 19/06/1984 B.B. ENTERPRISES (VEHICLES) LIMITED

[41]  Companies House http://wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk//wcprodorder?ft=1

August 2000 – the auditor’s resignation is possibly interesting. That was around the time the BBC contract was restored

[42] Castle Sinclair website http://www.castlesinclairgirnigoe.org/patron.html
Patron/president of Castle Sinclair – Prince Charles

[43] Castle Sinclair http://www.castlesinclairgirnigoe.org/

The castle is owned by the Clan Sinclair Trust  (which Nevin Sinclair founded)

[44] Clan Sinclair website http://www.clansinclair.org/ClanSinclairTrust.htm

Princes Charles has been in this position since 2010.  Previous to that the post was held by the Queen Mother

[45] Companies House Clan Sinclair Trust Company number SC194021 https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/SC194021/officers

Nevin Sinclair was in the Trust 4 March – 18 July 1999 after founding it. He was still involved for several years afterwards however- the library was named after him. Address 35 Lime Grove, London, W12 8EE

[46] Niven Sinclairs addresses [Current one redacted] HT @Mwalkerdine

NIVEN JAMES SINCLAIR of 35 LIME GROVE, LONDON W12 8EE aged 92 from 1986 approx to 2004 

 NIVEN JAMES SINCLAIR of  LATHERON HOUSE, LATHERON KW5 6DL only in 2004 

The Latheron House address appears to be that of the Clann Gunn heritage Museum [48]   and could be a postal address?

[47] 2016 Jul 9 WDTK Cathy Fox Blog FOI Niven Sinclair, Convicted Child Rapist working for the BBC https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/niven_sinclair_convicted_child_r

[48] 1992 Caithness.org The Clan Gunn Heritage Museum  http://www.caithness.org/caithnessfieldclub/bulletins/1992/clan_gunn_zeno.htm Niven donated £200k to the Orcadian Trust

[49] 2015 Oct 17  Mirror Jimmy Savile victim claims 5 more drivers linked to his abuse http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/jimmy-savile-victim-claims-5-6654818#ICID=sharebar_twitter

[50] 2016 Jul 16 Mirror New BBC paedophile scandal as ‘hero’ ex-chauffeur is unmasked as convicted child rapist http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/new-bbc-paedophile-scandal-hero-8435411 Unfortunately despite admitting that my article was used, they willl not credit me and the article goes under the byline @SimonBoyle87 @Nick_Dorman @SelbyMirror Shameful .

[51] Nick Davies website Flat Earth News http://www.flatearthnews.net/

[52] Amazon Nick Davies Flat Earth News https://www.amazon.co.uk/Flat-Earth-News-Award-winning-Distortion/dp/0099512688/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468753286&sr=8-1&keywords=flat+earth+news

[53] 2016 Feb 14 Sell your story Alison Smith-Squire Alan Selby and a spot of byline banditry…http://sellyourstoryuk.com/2016/02/14/alan-selby-and-a-spot-of-byline-banditry/

[54] National Archives http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C10812648

[55]  2016 Jul 19 via Jason Colavite blog, comments from Time Machine http://www.jasoncolavito.com/blog/reports-sinclair-jesus-templar-conspiracy-theorist-unmasked-as-pedophile-plus-new-fringe-cruise-video#comments

National Archives, Kew
Piece details CRIM 1/5466Niven SinclairCovering dates
1970 Jan 01-1975 Dec 31Scope and content
SINCLAIR, Nivien James. Buggery, indecent assault on a male person and possessing a firearm without a certificate.
Closed for 82 years.Closure status
Closed Or Retained Document. Open Description.Held by
The National Archives, Kew.

[56]  2016 Jul 19 What Do They Know Cathy Fox FOI CRIM 1/5466 Niven Sinclair https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/crim_15466_niven_sinclair

[57] https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2018/efficiency-review

[58] Anne Bulford efficiency_review_2018

[59] Ernst Younbg BBC Report ey_benchmarking

[60a]2016 Feb 15 BBC cathyfoxblog  Janet Smith Report Vol 1 Conclusions and Summaries

[60b] 2016 Feb 15 BBC cathyfoxblog Janet Smith Report Volume 2

[61] Priory of Sion Niven Sinclair https://web.archive.org/web/20190531102000/http://priory-of-sion.com/rlc/bag/nivensinclair.html

Appendix 1 page 461 -471 Vol 2 Janet Smith Report

462
assaulting young contestants, and had even
begun to employ chaperones to make sure girls
could not be lured into his dressing room.”
8.23 With the assistance of the Mail, we were able to locate the
source of this article and the source gave evidence. He wished
to remain anonymous and I shall refer to him as A1. When we
spoke to A1 he was 84 years old and repeatedly said that he
regretted that his recollection of events in the 1970s is now
imperfect in some respects.
8.24 When initially interviewed in March 2013, A1 said that he had
worked for many years as a driver for a private hire company
which contracted to provide chauffeur-driven cars for the BBC.
He was not directly employed by the BBC. As he was regularly
sent on jobs for the BBC, he had a pass and could enter
various BBC buildings as and when he needed. He often had
to wait for the person he was going to drive; he would
sometimes sit in a canteen or wait in the corridor outside a
dressing room. He often chatted to other chauffeurs and also
to members of BBC staff; receptionists, waitresses, make-up
girls, dressers, dancers and young actresses. I interpose to
say that the actresses may not have been members of staff.
He said that, among many of those people, Savile’s reputation
was that of being a “dirty old man” who “was perverted where
young girls were concerned”. That, he said, was Savile’s
reputation throughout the many years he worked in connection
with the BBC. A1 also said that a friend of his, who worked in
the Art Department of the BBC, had told him that Savile
interfered with young girls. A1 did not suggest that he had
heard such rumours in the presence of any member of
management or among staff of producer or director level.
8.25 A1 recounted one particular episode which occurred, he
believed, in about 1975 or 1976. He was summoned to
Television Centre and, when he had pulled up in the car park, a

463
young man, who he thought was an assistant director on Jim’ll
Fix It , brought a young girl to the car with instructions to take
her straight home.
8.26 When the girl got into the car, she was very quiet and tearful.
She hardly spoke during the journey. A1 asked her what was
the matter but she just choked up; she was “monosyllabic”. He
asked her if she had been performing and she said “A little bit”.
He asked her if she had been in any programmes and she said
“I’m only 14”. He got the impression she had been one of the
‘fixees’ on Jim’ll Fix It but agreed in his interview with the Savile
investigation that that was only an impression or assumption. I
interpose that it seems to me to be most unlikely that the girl
had been a fixee on Jim’ll Fix It because the families of fixees
were usually invited to be in the audience during the recording
of the programme and this girl was plainly alone. Also, in the
1970s, Jim’ll Fix It was generally recorded at the BBC Theatre
at Shepherd’s Bush and not at Television Centre. When I
suggested to A1 that it sounded more likely that she had been a
member of the audience on Top of the Pops , he agreed that
that might well have been the case. However, it matters not
what programme she had been involved in.
8.27 A1 told us that he drove the girl to her home in Esher, a semi-
detached house in a quiet residential road. They arrived there
between 10pm and 11pm. He drew up with the offside of the
car against the pavement in front of the driveway of the
house. He tooted his horn and immediately a woman
(presumed to be the girl’s mother) came out to the car. A1
reached over and opened the offside rear door. The girl
scrambled out straight into her mother’s arms; she was
sobbing. A1 could hear what was said between the two
although he cannot now be sure of the detail. The mother
asked the girl “What’s the matter, darling?” The girl said

464
something like, “It was Jimmy Savile” and was sobbing. She
seemed to be saying something about him having done
something which had made her cry. A1 thought he had told the
girl’s mother that he did not know what had happened but that,
whatever it was, it had happened at the BBC before she got
into his car. He said he was anxious that the mother should not
think that whatever had happened had anything to do with him.
He remembers asking the mother if it was all right for him to
leave and she said it was. He left.
8.28 He told us that the only report he made about this incident was
to his manager at the private hire company by which he was
employed. He did not report it to anyone at the BBC.
8.29 He was asked about how he came to speak to journalists at the
Mail. He said that initially a man had telephoned him; then later
he had had a longer telephone interview with a woman. When
he read the article which included material about him, he had
felt that it was inaccurate in some respects and he had not had
the opportunity to challenge it. First, he said that he had never
said that the girl he took home was 12. He believed that she
was 14. His present recollection was that she had told him she
was 14 but, if he was wrong about that, he certainly had the
impression she was about 14. He felt he could tell the
difference between a girl of 12 and one of 14 and this one did
not look 12.
8.30 Second, A1 told us that he had not told the Mail that he had
heard the girl in the car tell her mother that Savile had grabbed
her or attacked her. The conversation had not been so clear;
all he could say was that he had the impression that Savile had
done something which had made her cry. He was quite sure
that he had not told the Mail that the girl had said that Savile
had attacked her.

465
8.31 A1 accepted that he had told the Mail that he believed that the
girl had been appearing on Jim’ll Fix It. He is now doubtful
about whether he was right about that. It was only ever an
assumption and he has now accepted from me that, in the
1970s, that programme was generally made at the BBC
Theatre at Shepherd’s Bush and not at Television Centre. He
now thinks the girl may well have been in the audience of Top
of the Pops. Here again, the difference does not matter in
itself, although to my mind it suggests that A1 has been
prepared to assert as fact that which he has assumed to be so.
8.32 There were two aspects of A1’s evidence which the Savile
investigation was particularly anxious to investigate. These
were, first, his assertions that senior BBC staff were aware that
Savile was a danger to young girls and second, that BBC
drivers had been dismissed for talking about Savile’s sexual
misconduct.
8.33 A1 denied that he told the Mail that some of the drivers at the
BBC had previously been fired for talking about Savile’s
reputation. He explained to us that chauffeurs were not
supposed to gossip about their passengers. I have the
impression that he thought that the BBC took this very
seriously, although, from his evidence, it seems that many of
the chauffeurs did gossip about their passengers, many of
whom were celebrities.
8.34 A1 accepted that he might well have told the Mail that there
was a great deal of talk in the canteen and that some people
would say “Don’t mention anything about Jimmy Savile”. He
agreed that he might well have said that he feared that he might
lose his job if he said anything about Savile. However, he did
not, on this occasion, tell the Savile investigation of any specific
example of anyone losing his job. He had, of course, reported
to his boss at the private hire company what had happened so

466
far as the young girl was concerned and had not suffered any ill
consequence. He told the Savile investigation that he would
have been concerned that, if anyone had reported this to the
BBC, he might not have worked for the BBC again. The BBC
would not tolerate any gossip or scandal concerning anybody in
the BBC. They would sack a chauffeur for gossiping. This was
not specifically in connection with Savile; it was general.
8.35 A1 agreed that he might well have said to the Mail that the BBC
‘chiefs’ in charge of the show (which he thought was Jim’ll Fix
It) knew very well that Savile had a reputation for assaulting
young contestants. In fact, he said that “producers” knew “all
about it”. Indeed at one stage he asserted that he himself had
told an “independent producer working on the programme”
about “it”. When asked why he believed that BBC producers
knew about Savile’s misconduct, he said that it was because
the man who had brought the young girl out to his car (who he
thought was an assistant director) had told him not to let the
young girl out of his sight. It appears to me that A1 must have
assumed that this man knew that Savile had assaulted the girl
and therefore the show’s producer must also have
known. Such an assumption does not seem unreasonable in
the circumstances although it is not necessarily right. From
what I have learned of the operation of the programmes on
which Savile worked, it seems to me that, if the girl had been on
Jim’ll Fix It, the producer would probably have known about any
incident affecting Savile; the team was very small and close-
knit. If, however, the girl had been in the audience of Top of the
Pops, it is less likely that the producer would have known. The
producer would almost certainly have been up in the gallery
and any decision about sending a girl home in a taxi might well
have been taken by a floor manager, an assistant director or
another member of the studio staff.

467
8.36 Moreover, I regret to say that I think it quite likely that studio
staff would not have reported the incident as it should have
been. I have heard of two other incidents on Top of the Pops
where a complaint was made to studio staff about Savile but
the complaint was not logged or reported as it should have
been. My conclusion on this issue is that A1 had no direct
knowledge that the chiefs on any show knew about the event
involving the girl or indeed about any misconduct by Savile. His
statement on that topic was based on assumption which,
although not unreasonable, may well have been wrong.
8.37 A1 also accepted that he probably told the Mail that the young
people on the show had to be escorted and chaperoned.
However, on questioning by the Savile investigation, it was
clear that he had no personal knowledge of this and what he
had told the Mail was based on rumour and gossip. I entirely
accept that A1 believed this to be true because of Savile’s bad
reputation. However, the assertion that the BBC had started
using chaperones to protect young girls from Savile and to
prevent him from luring them to his dressing room is without
evidential foundation.
8.38 When I discussed with him what I understand (from other
evidence) to have been the BBC’s practice in respect of
chaperones, he agreed that the BBC would obviously have to
ensure that young people taking part in shows were
accompanied while on the premises; they could not be let loose
to roam around the building. But he said that that did not apply
on Top of the Pops ; young people in that audience came
without their parents and would make their own way home after
the show. He said that after Top of the Pops there would be a
“sort of a free-for-all”. I can understand why he said that. From
other evidence I have heard, it appears that the young people
who came to Top of the Pops were not individually

468
accompanied or chaperoned; they were supposed to be shown
off the premises as a group but the evidence suggests that that
did not always happen as it should. But I have heard no
evidence that any special rules of chaperoning were laid down
by the BBC in connection with Savile and A1 did not provide
any such evidence.
8.39 In due course, we informed the Mail that A1 had told us that
some aspects of their article were inaccurate. The Mail
immediately provided the shorthand notes of the conversation
one of their journalists had had with A1. The Mail provided a
transcript of the notes. We commissioned another transcript
which showed that the Mail’s transcript was accurate. The Mail
also provided a brief attendance note which recorded how A1
had contacted the Mail to volunteer his story.
8.40 First, it appears from the notes that A1 did indeed tell the Mail
that the girl was 12. It also appears that he did say that he
heard the girl tell her mother that Savile had attacked her. The
notes also suggest that A1 did say that he knew of a driver who
had been dismissed for gossiping. Whether that was gossiping
about Savile is not clear. It is clear from the notes that A1 did
say something about drivers talking amongst themselves,
suggesting that, if you mentioned anything about Savile, you
would get the sack. It also appears from the notes that A1 had
told the Mail something to the effect that the BBC chiefs on the
show knew that Savile had a reputation for assaulting young
contestants.
8.41 In the light of the conflicts between what A1 had told the Savile
investigation and what he appeared to have told the Mail, we
have interviewed A1 on two further occasions. On these
occasions, A1 was adamant that he had not contacted the Mail
to offer his story. He asserted that they had contacted him first
and had telephoned him several times, putting various things to

469
him. Later he suggested that, because, many years ago, he
had provided a Mail journalist with information, the newspaper
had his telephone number somewhere. I am sorry to say that I
think A1’s memory is playing tricks with him. The Mail’s
transcribed notes have every appearance of authenticity. So
does the attendance note of A1’s first telephone contact. I am
sure that it was A1 who first got in touch. A1’s suggestions as
to why the Mail contacted him tend to confirm the view that I
had earlier formed that A1 is prone to make assumptions and
reconstructions and then to assert them as facts.
8.42 As for saying that the girl was 12, A1 again asserted that he
had not said that. He was adamant that he told the Mail that
the girl was 14. He proffered by way of justification of his view
that he would not have had a 12-year old girl in his car because
a 12-year old would have had a mother or a guardian with her.
I think he is wrong and that he did say that the girl was 12. The
notes are clear. I have no reason to doubt them.
8.43 In the most recent conversation with A1, he asserted again that
he had never told the Mail that he had heard the girl say that
Savile had grabbed her or attacked her. The note of what he
had been recorded as saying by the Mail was read out to him
and he was asked to think back very carefully. After a few
moments, he said that he thought that was what he might have
said. After a few more moments thought, he said that he was
sure he had heard the girl use the word ‘attacked’, adding that
she was very hysterical. So, within a few minutes, A1 had
changed his evidence from asserting one thing to being sure
that the contrary was true.
8.44 A1 was then asked about the statement in the Mail that one of
the drivers had been sacked for talking about Savile. He said
that he had never said that. What he had said was that there
was an attitude that if you quoted anything to the media you

would be in serious trouble. He then said that a driver in the
canteen had told him that he had been suspended for
gossiping, not about Savile but about another artist. Then
when the notes were read to him, he asserted that it was
correct that someone had been fired and escorted off the
premises for talking about Savile and he had said so to the
Mail. Asked how he knew this, he confirmed that one of the
drivers in the canteen had told him that someone he knew had
been dismissed for talking about Savile being over-fond of
young girls.
8.45 Finally, A1 was asked again about his assertion to the Mail that
Savile was an out and out pervert and everyone knew about it;
all the producers knew what was happening. He said that that
was right. They definitely knew. Asked if he meant producers
or assistant producers he said that, if the assistant knew, the
producer also knew because they were close. Anyone
connected with the production would have known of Savile’s
habit. Asked how he knew this, he said that the people he had
spoken to in the canteen all knew of Savile’s reputation. When
reminded that he appeared to have said that all the producers
knew what was happening, he said that he would never have
said that because producers were “the higher ups”. It was the
assistant producers who were bound to know. When reminded
that he appeared to have told the Mail that he had spoken to an
independent producer about Savile, and the reply had been that
“we know all about that”, A1 said that that was correct. Asked
who the producer was, he said he could not remember names.
Then he said that he had told this producer about the incident
with the young girl. But he could not remember who it was he
had told.
8.46 I am satisfied that A1 is an honest man who has tried his best
to remember events going back to the 1970s. But he has great

471
difficulty in distinguishing between true memory and
reconstruction and assumption. I think his memory has played
tricks with him, not only as to what happened in the 1970s but
also as to what happened in 2012 when he spoke to a journalist
from the Mail. I can only conclude that his evidence is
unreliable in many respects. I do appreciate the difficulty he
has been in. When he spoke to us he was 84 years old. I think
that A1 probably did take a young girl home from Television
Centre in a state of distress caused by something done by
Savile. It is unfortunate that this victim has not come forward.
8.47 It seems to me that the Mail’s article, although firmly based on
what A1 said to their journalist, is nonetheless unreliable. No
doubt the story sounded plausible and I do not criticise the Mail
for running it. However, close questioning of A1 as to why he
has made his various assertions, shows that they are based on
rumour, gossip and assumption. Such information as A1 had
about Savile’s reputation within the BBC came from gossip in
the canteen and corridors with people such as other drivers,
receptionists, waitresses, make-up girls, dressers, dancers and
young actresses. There is no reliable evidence that he had
contact with any member of BBC staff who was in any position
of authority.
8.48 It is no part of my function to criticise an elderly man whose
account turns out to be unreliable. But my overall conclusion in
respect of this article is that the public should not rely on it as
amounting to evidence that the BBC chiefs knew of Savile’s
reputation for sexually assaulting ‘young contestants’, that the
BBC had ever dismissed anyone for talking about Savile’s
reputation or that the BBC employed chaperones to ensure that
girls could not be lured into Savile’s dressing room

[A] Sanctuary for the Abused http://abusesanctuary.blogspot.co.uk/2006/07/for-survivors-coping-with-triggers-if.html

[B] NAPAC http://www.napac.org.uk/

[C] One in Four http://www.oneinfour.org.uk/

[D] Havoca http://www.havoca.org/HAVOCA_home.htm

[E] SurvivorsJustice Triggers post http://survivorsjustice.com/2014/02/26/triggers-what-are-they-and-how-do-we-work-through-them/

[F] SurvivorsJustice Blog http://survivorsjustice.com/

[G] Jim Hopper Mindfulness http://www.jimhopper.com/mindfulness/

[H] Jim Hopper Meditation http://www.jimhopper.com/mindfulness/#cultivate

[J] 2016 Jan 5 Hwaairfan blog An Indigenous Australian Approach to Healing Trauma https://hwaairfan.wordpress.com/2016/01/05/an-indigenous-australian-approach-to-healing-trauma/

[K] Survivors UK website for victims and survivors of male rape or the sexual abuse of men https://www.survivorsuk.org/ and twitter https://twitter.com/SurvivorsUK

[L] Voicing CSA website – http://voicingcsa.uk/ helps arrange survivors meetings in your area. Voicing CSA supports the IICSA and VSCP and works to help adult survivors of child sexual abuse find their voice

This is all written in good faith but if there is anything that needs to be corrected please email niven@cathyfox.33mail.com

cathyfox

the truth will out, the truth will shout, the truth will set us free

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing” – Edmund Burke

“He who does not bellow the truth when he knows the truth makes himself the accomplice of liars and forgers.” Charles Peguy

To sin by silence when we should protest makes cowards out of men  – Ella  Wheeler Wilcox

Save