Jimmy Savile "got a kick" from dropping hints about his abuse of children, says a lawyer who won millions of pounds in compensation for Savile's victims.
The Leeds-born TV presenter, who is thought to have sexually abused up to 1,000 victims, is the subject of the Netflix documentary Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story. Alan Collins, the solicitor who brought to court compensation claims for Savile's victims, was interviewed for the two-part programme which airs tomorrow (Wednesday) focussing on how the former DJ fooled the British establishment.
Alan, who specialises in obtaining compensation for sexual abuse victims, said Savile enjoyed toying with interviewers by hinting at the sick crimes he had carried out on teenagers and vulnerable adults. In one now notorious interview, Savile implies his apparent philanthropy is a "front" for something more sinister and his interviewer, Gloria Hunniford, laughs, apparently believing it's a joke.
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"He was playing with people," said Alan who has won compensation for victims of TV presenter and sexual abuser Stuart Hall and victims of Haut de la Garenne former boys' home, in Jersey.
"He got a kick out of it. He was saying: 'I'm cleverer than you because you don't know what I'm saying.
"There was an arrogance about him."
While Alan and his firm Hugh James won claims totalling millions from Savile's estate, the BBC and NHS trusts, the amount individual victims received was often a few thousand pounds. Sexual abuse victims in Britain receive an average of about £25,000 compensation.
"Most of Savile's victims received less than that," said Alan, although for many it wasn't about the money.
Alan said: "For the vast majority of his victims, they just wanted to be believed. They found it hard to believe what he did to them, it was so shocking and blatant.
"They just wanted the establishment to say: 'We are sorry. We believe you.'"
We may never know how many people Savile abused; some will never speak about what he did to them. But Alan says victims, who have so far held their silence, should come forward.
He said: "If you think you ought to say something, you should. The best people to talk to are the police. The main thing is your complaint is logged."
But Alan, who is currently representing two women Savile abused and who came forward later, urged caution.
"It is important people come forward but they should always do what is best for them," he said.
Savile, famed for his appearance on Top of the Pops and his own Jim'll Fix It show, is thought to have abused hundreds of victims, mostly teenage girls and boys. Abuse, ranging from groping to rape, took place at Leeds General Infirmary where he volunteered, and at St James's Hospital and High Royds psychiatric hospital as well as BBC studios and other places.
While rumours of his crimes had been rife for decades, his powerful position allowed him to evade justice until his death in 2011.
