‘there Wasn’t a Copper in Leeds Who Didn’t Know Savile Was a Pervert’
By Simon Bristow
A FORMER Leeds policeman who anonymously told journalists that he caught Jimmy Savile trying to seduce an underage girl in 1965 has been urged to come forward and speak to investigators. The ex-Leeds Pc spoke to the Daily Mirror and the BBC under the pseudonym Paul Leonard, claiming that Savile was found parked in a lay-by with a young girl in his Rolls Royce. He told the newspaper that the disgraced DJ said he was waiting for midnight when the girl turned 16, and threatened: “If you want to keep your job I suggest you get on your bike and f-off.” Today West Yorkshire Police appealed for the man to speak to them about the incident. The force released a statement that said: “West Yorkshire Police are appealing for a man who spoke to the media yesterday in relation to the Jimmy Savile case to get in touch. “A man, using the false name Paul Leonard, spoke on BBC Radio 2 and in interview with the Daily Mirror, telling them he worked for Leeds City Police in the 1960s and came across Savile parked in a layby with a young girl. “Officers from West Yorkshire Police are keen to speak to him about this matter.” Previous appeals have been made for witnesses with information about Savile to come forward, but the force said they do not believe that he has made contact before. The statement went on: “To our knowledge, Mr Leonard was not one of those who made contact. Given that Paul Leonard used a pseudonym, a false name, in his media interviews his identity or the content of what he says is very difficult to verify. We are however keen to speak to ‘Mr Leonard’ in order that this can be investigated thoroughly.” The former officer told the Daily Mirror that he had been warned off pursuing the incident by a more senior officer. He claimed that a sergeant had said: “Shut up, son, he’s got friends in high places. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave it there.” The officer told the newspaper: “There wasn’t a copper in Leeds who didn’t know Savile was a pervert. But he was so well-connected. He was like a superstar.” This came after Surrey police released a transcript of an interview with Savile over alleged sex crimes in 2009, in which he bragged about contact with senior officers in West Yorkshire and claimed to have successfully sued five newspapers. He told interviewers that he had been targeted with false claims by blackmailers, and said: “I have up in Yorkshire, where I live in Leeds, a collection of senior police persons who come to see me socially, but I give them all my weirdo letters.” Prosecutors admitted earlier this year that the decision not to pursue allegations against Savile in 2009 was wrong, and that charges could have been brought against him had victims been taken more seriously.
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