Support still strong for prosecution of historic sex cases

A YouGov survey for the NSPCC of over 2,000 adults from across Britain, has found overwhelming support for the police and CPS in prosecuting historic cases of abuse.

Of those questioned in Yorkshire and the Humber, almost four fifths (78 per cent) support pursuing cases of sexual abuse even if they happened years ago.

Nearly two thirds said they specifically supported Operation Yewtree, a joint operation by the police and the NSPCC set up in the wake of the Jimmy Savile revelations.

Peter Watt, Yewtree lead for the NSPCC, said: “The public’s support for pursuing non-recent cases is reassuring for victims of sexual abuse.

“Despite long investigations and often shocking revelations the public remain supportive of Operation Yewtree.

“And they strongly support pursuing offenders in other cases even after a number of years have passed.

“This is vital because child sexual abuse, by its very nature, often isn’t revealed until much later. Children often don’t understand what has happened to them until they are older or they try and speak out at the time but aren’t believed as happened to many of Savile’s victims. A failure to pursue non-recent cases would effectively give immunity to many offenders.”

The information is published as the disgraced broadcaster’s old home in Leeds was sold for the second time since his death.

Documents lodged with the Land Registry show that the penthouse flat in Roundhay Park changed hands midway through last month.

A price of £300,000 was paid for the three-bedroom property.

The new owners are reportedly a couple who are aware of the identity of its shamed ex-occupant.

Savile’s former home first went on the market in September 2012, shortly before he was exposed as a serial sex attacker.

It was bought in February last year for £250,000 by Leeds-based real estate firm CXI 92 Ltd. The firm said at the time that it intended to demolish and completely rebuild the property but that plan never came to fruition.

Savile died at the flat in October 2011, aged 84.

A flood of allegations about his abusive behaviour was unleashed by an ITV documentary that aired a year later.