Jimmy Savile Newsnight journalists attack BBC over 'anti-victim' Panorama investigation

The VIP Paedophile Ring: What’s the Truth? sought to debunk claims of a network of abusers at Westminster

Reporter Daniel Foggo speaks to abuse victim 'David' on Tuesday night's Panorama (BBC Panorama)

The journalists behind Newsnight’s blocked exposé of Jimmy Savile have attacked the BBC’s decision to air what they called an “anti-victim” Panorama investigation into alleged child sex abuse by a VIP paedophile ring.

Almost two million people watched The VIP Paedophile Ring: What’s the Truth? on Tuesday night, which sought to debunk claims of a network of abusers at Westminster.

It centred on allegations of child sex abuse that took place largely at two venues – the Dolphin Square block of flats in Pimlico, central London, and the Elm Guest House in Barnes, south-west London. It included suggestions that some of the complaints against the late former Home Secretary Lord Brittan, among others, were dubious.

But police and victims’ groups complained of the possible effect on other child sex abuse victims who are considering coming forward. And Meirion Jones, the former Newsnight producer whose reports about Savile’s years of then undocumented abuse were pulled from broadcast in 2011, said the “anti-victim Panorama” was “absurd”.

“Categorically a very young boy was repeatedly abused by paedophiles at EGH [Elm Guest House],” he wrote online.

One former Elms House cleaner at the house told the programme he never saw any saw no MPs or VIPs at the guest house there. The Panorama team spent a year researching the programme and also said they found no evidence of abuse there.

But Mr Jones reiterated that he knew of evidence “directly from a witness” to show that the late Liberal MP Cyril Smith had visited Elm Guest House and that this evidence had been obtained by Operation Fernbridge, one of the Metropolitan Police inquiries into the Westminster VIP abuse allegations.

Mr Jones’s former Newsnight colleague Liz Mackean said “far more energy [was] expended getting [Panorama] aired than on preventing [our] original Savile investigation”.

Leading child sex abuse campaigner Ian Pace also criticised the BBC for focusing on a small number of abuse claims. He told The Independent: “Even if nothing comes of the Elm Guest House and Dolphin Square investigations, that in no sense disproves other evidence of VIP paedophile networks,” citing examples in “Islington, Lambeth, Suffolk, Jersey”.

The programme seemed designed to “pour cold water on a wide range of investigations”, he added.

Labour MP Simon Danczuk, another leading child abuse campaigner, revealed on Wednesday that he had been interviewed for 90 minutes by the programme but none of the material was used.

The Rochdale MP accused Panorama of ignoring the facts.

He said: "I was surprised that they didn't use any of the interview. I've campaigned on these types of issues for years and I have a reasonably good knowledge of the subject.

"I can only conclude that what I was saying did not fit with their narrow narrative.

"It's clear from having watched the programme that they wanted to limit the investigation to just a small number of alleged victims.

"But there is a lot of other evidence, including documentation and testimony from ex-police officers, which corroborates claims of child abuse linked to Westminster.

"These facts can't be ignored, but that's exactly what Panorama have attempted to do."

A BBC spokesperson said: “Panorama’s important and fair investigative journalism asks legitimate questions about the conduct of the police, journalists, campaigners, and politicians in handling historic allegations of child abuse.”

She said Panorama was grateful for Mr Danczuk’s time but that it was not possible to use “every piece of footage from a year-long investigation”.

The spokesperson added: “The programme simply focused on other aspects of a much wider story and it would be misleading to suggest that reflects any sort of bias.”