The vast scale of child abuse committed by deceased BBC presenter Jimmy Savile was unveiled in a police report Friday, which described Savile as a "prolific, predatory sex offender who hid behind his "celebrity status."
The joint report by Scotland Yard detectives and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children said that 214 criminal offences had been formally recorded against Savile across 28 police forces, following information provided by approximately 450 victims.
"Savile's offending footprint was vast, predatory and opportunistic. He cannot face justice today, but we hope this report gives some comfort to his hundreds of victims. They have been listened to and taken seriously," Scotland Yard commander Peter Spindler said.
The scale of the abuse by Savile, who died in October 2011, was "believed to be unprecedented" in Britain. Of his victims, 73 per cent were children - some as young as eight - and 27 per cent adults. The recorded crimes include 34 rapes and 126 indecent acts.
The offences were committed on BBC premises, in hospitals, mental care establishments and a hospice "over six decades," between 1955 and 2009, said the report. The majority of offences date back to the 1960s and 1970s.
"It is believed that Savile was able, through his celebrity status, to 'hide in plain sight' while abusing children and adults over six decades," said the report.
It also revealed that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) failed repeatedly to take action against Savile "because they did not take the claims seriously enough."
"I would like to take the opportunity to apologize for the shortcomings in the part played by the CPS in these cases," said Keir Starmer, the director of public prosecutions, Friday.
"If this report and my apology are to serve their full purpose, then this must be seen as a watershed moment," he added.
The activities of Savile, who launched the BBC's popular Top of the Pops programme in the 1960s and ran the childrens' TV show Jim'll Fix It, have unleashed a fierce public debate about the "culture" that allowed such offences to be tolerated.
The BBC was accused of attempting to cover up the scale of the scandal surrounding Savile, which erupted in late 2012, after his death at the age of 84 in the previous year.
The leading public broadcaster has been thrown into deep disarray over the Savile affair, which prompted the resignation of director general George Entwistle and a number of editors and officials.