Ex-Police Inspector Cleared Over Savile Call

A former West Yorkshire Police inspector who was alleged to have intervened on behalf of his friend Jimmy Savile in an inquiry into child sexual abuse has been cleared after a two-year investigation.

Mick Starkey, who had acted as Savile's unofficial chauffeur and drove his gold Rolls Royce, has been told by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) that he has no case to answer over a phone call he made to Surrey Police in 2009 after detectives wrote to Savile requesting an interview under caution.

The Surrey detectives were investigating the DJ and television host over allegations he had sexually assaulted girls at Duncroft Approved School in Staines, which closed in 1980.

Mr Starkey's call to the investigation team was revealed in two separate police reports produced after Savile's death in 2011 at the age of 84 and the subsequent revelations about his hundreds of attacks on women and children.

A transcript of Savile's 2009 interview, released in 2013, showed that he claimed police officers took "weirdo" letters he received.

"I have … where I live in Leeds, a collection of senior police persons," he claimed.

Savile said the police officers came to see him socially, "but I give them all my weirdo letters."

The IPCC launched an investigation into Mr Starkey's behaviour in October 2013 but have now told him he did nothing wrong.

In a statement the watchdog said: "An IPCC investigation has concluded that a former West Yorkshire Police officer has no case to answer over allegations that he acted on behalf of Jimmy Savile by inappropriately contacting Surrey Police ahead of a police interview in 2009."

Sky News understands a witness backed up Mr Starkey's assertion to investigators that he had encouraged Savile to contact Surrey Police, but that Savile had claimed to have lost the contact details.

West Yorkshire Police said it had no comment to make.

Two years ago the force conducted its own review into its contact with Savile.

This concluded there was no evidence he was protected from arrest or prosecution because of his relationship with West Yorkshire Police or officers.