Dig up Savile’s body and burn it, says his nephew

Guy Marsden, from Leeds, said he fully understood the concerns of people who want alleged padeophile Savile’s body to be removed from Scarborough’s Woodlands Cemetery.

He said: “If it was one of mine who was buried there, I wouldn’t like it if someone like Jimmy was in the same place.

“Our thoughts are with their loved ones.

“At the end of the day, they say his grave can be exhumed and they can cremate Jimmy Savile and they can put him in a private place known only to the family. But who’d want to visit him anyway? I wouldn’t want to know.

“I know that a lot of my family would say the same.”

Mr Marsden also said, however, that he was unaware of any formal plans being made for the removal of Savile’s body.

Scarborough councillor Colin Haddington was one of the first to publicly raise the prospect of the body being exhumed and cremated.

He told a meeting of Scarborough Council on Monday that he had received a complaint from the grandmother of a child who is buried at Woodlands Cemetery.

Coun Haddington (Con, Filey) said: “This has caused a great deal of distress to my constituent and her family.”

Council leaders responded by saying that Savile’s body could only be moved at the request of his family.

Meanwhile, a charity founded by the BBC TV and radio host is seeking advice on how to protect its funds.

The Leeds-based Jimmy Savile Charitable Trust announced last month that it would be closing down and distributing its assets to other good causes.

Those assets include around £3.6m that was left to the trust by Savile following his death a year ago.

Now, however, it has emerged that his £4.3m estate – which includes the cash he left to the trust – is facing claims for compensation from some of his alleged abuse victims.

The estate was frozen last week by Savile’s will executor, NatWest Bank, after news of the claims came to light.

A statement issued yesterday by the trust said: “Any claims brought against the estate could clearly reduce the amount of money available for charity.

“The trustees will be seeking legal advice as to how best to protect the charity’s funds.”

Police fear Leeds-born Savile abused up to 300 young people over six decades, with some attacks said to have taken place on BBC and NHS premises.

Law firm Pannone has received “firm instructions” to proceed with eight damages claims.

Another law firm, Slater and Gordon, has sent legal letters to the BBC, Leeds General Infirmary, Stoke Mandeville and Broadmoor hospitals, and representatives of Savile’s estate.

• The man who led the first inquiry into the North Wales child abuse scandal says he has no recollection of claims that a senior Tory was among the perpetrators.

John Jillings, who carried out an investigation for Clwyd County Council in 1994, said his inquiry focused on allegations of abuse by members of staff at children’s homes.

The Government has launched two new inquiries following claims by one victim, Steve Messham, that he was regularly taken from his children’s home to a hotel in Wrexham and abused. He claims his attackers included a senior Conservative from the Thatcher era.