London (CNN) -- An inquiry into a decision by a BBC show to drop an investigation into sexual abuse claims against late BBC presenter Jimmy Savile said Wednesday that it found no evidence of a cover-up, but it was heavily critical of senior managers.
Inquiry head Nick Pollard said the decision by the show's editor to shelve the story late last year was seriously flawed.But he had even sterner words for senior BBC News managers, saying leadership "seemed to be in short supply" when revelations about Savile subsequently emerged in October of this year."The decision to drop the original investigation was flawed and the way it was taken was wrong, but I believe it was done in good faith. It was not done to protect the Savile tribute programmes or for any improper reason," said Pollard, a former head of Sky News.var currExpandable="expand15";if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);}var mObj={};mObj.type='video';mObj.contentId='';mObj.source='world/2012/11/08/lkl-rivers-uk-cameron-ambushed.cnn';mObj.videoSource='CNN';mObj.videoSourceUrl='';mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/121108084233-lkl-rivers-uk-cameron-ambushed-00004905-story-body.jpg";mObj.lgImageX=300;mObj.lgImageY=169;mObj.origImageX="214";mObj.origImageY="120";mObj.contentType='video';CNN.expElements.expand15Store=mObj;var currExpandable="expand25";if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);}var mObj={};mObj.type='video';mObj.contentId='';mObj.source='world/2012/12/07/rivers-clifford-abuse-arrest.cnn';mObj.videoSource='CNN';mObj.videoSourceUrl='';mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/121207034435-rivers-clifford-abuse-arrest-00001206-story-body.jpg";mObj.lgImageX=300;mObj.lgImageY=169;mObj.origImageX="214";mObj.origImageY="120";mObj.contentType='video';CNN.expElements.expand25Store=mObj;var currExpandable="expand35";if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);}var mObj={};mObj.type='video';mObj.contentId='';mObj.source='world/2012/11/13/ctw-intv-enders-bbc-scandal.cnn';mObj.videoSource='CNN';mObj.videoSourceUrl='';mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/121113031812-ctw-intv-enders-bbc-scandal-00001823-story-body.jpg";mObj.lgImageX=300;mObj.lgImageY=169;mObj.origImageX="214";mObj.origImageY="120";mObj.contentType='video';CNN.expElements.expand35Store=mObj;var currExpandable="expand45";if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);}var mObj={};mObj.type='video';mObj.contentId='';mObj.source='world/2012/11/12/pkg-rivers-bbc-scandal-fallout.cnn';mObj.videoSource='CNN';mObj.videoSourceUrl='';mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/121112083121-pkg-rivers-bbc-scandal-fallout-00021617-story-body.jpg";mObj.lgImageX=300;mObj.lgImageY=169;mObj.origImageX="214";mObj.origImageY="120";mObj.contentType='video';CNN.expElements.expand45Store=mObj;"In my view, the most worrying aspect of the Jimmy Savile story for the BBC was not the decision to drop the story itself. It was the complete inability to deal with the events that followed."The management system was "completely incapable" of dealing with the crisis, he said, and his report "shows that the level of chaos and confusion was even greater than was apparent at the time."The evidence gathered by the Newsnight journalists last year should have been passed to police, Pollard said.Allegations of sexual assault and rape against Savile were first aired by rival broadcaster ITV in October. A slew of other claims followed.Police believe Savile, who died in October of last year at age 84, sexually abused hundreds of young women and girls in past decades, with some offenses committed on BBC premises.Lord Patten, the chairman of the BBC Trust, which oversees the BBC, said it accepted all the findings and recommendations of the report and would act on them.The crisis claimed the scalp of BBC Director General George Entwistle, who resigned at the height of the furor over the BBC's handling of the Savile affair. It broke only weeks after he took the top role at the broadcaster.Acting Director General Tim Davie said that Stephen Mitchell, deputy director of news, had resigned Wednesday in light of the report. He will not be given a payoff.While critical of BBC management, Pollard said there was no "fundamental undermining of the BBC's journalism."He added that he believed an apparent drop in public trust in the broadcaster, revealed in a survey released Monday, would be short-lived.Newsnight will be given a new editorial leadership team.The total cost for the Pollard Review will be close to 2 million pounds ($3.2 million).It is the first of two major independent inquiries set up by the British public broadcaster after the scandal.Savile hosted popular BBC children's TV programs, including "Jim'll Fix It" and "Top of the Pops." He was a household name in Britain for decades. He was also well-known for his philanthropy, which raised millions of pounds for charity, and he was awarded a knighthood.His targets were apparently mostly girls in their midteens in what authorities have described as alleged abuse on an unprecedented scale.As of last week, police said 450 people had come forward with information relating to Savile, mainly alleging sexual abuse.Savile is a suspect in 199 crimes, including 31 allegations of rape, London's Metropolitan Police said.An eighth suspect was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of sexual offenses in connection with a police inquiry into claims against Savile and others, dubbed Operation Yewtree.The man, who is in his 70s and from London, has not been named.The furor over the BBC's handling of the original Newsnight investigation was compounded by its decision to broadcast a Newsnight probe last month into claims of abuse at children's homes in Wales.That program led to a former senior Conservative politician, Lord McAlpine, being falsely named on Twitter as a child abuser. The BBC apologized and has paid compensation.Other individuals who repeated the libel via Twitter still face legal action.A second major inquiry set up to look into the culture and practices of the BBC during the decades Savile worked there is ongoing.The BBC has also set up a review of its policies and procedures relating to sexual harassment, in light of allegations about past misconduct. It is headed by senior human rights lawyer Dinah Rose.An internal review of the second, flawed Newsnight investigation into abuse at children's homes reported back last month. It concluded that the program's production was marked by a series of "unacceptable" failures.
