Dinah Rose QC to assist BBC in sexual Harrasment issues

The BBC have announced that it has appointed Dinah Rose QC to assist with its sexual harassment review. It follows the Metropolitan Police launching a formal criminal investigation into abuse by personalities.
The appointment of Rose will assist the corporation, they say, in ensuring that anyone with a complaint is properly supported. It follows the BBC last week hiring Dame Janet Smith to lead a corporation commissioned review of alleged abuse at the beeb.

BBC Director-General George Entwistle said: “I am very grateful that Dinah Rose QC has agreed to help us look at these issues. The allegations that have arisen in the last few weeks that date back decades have truly shocked me. If there are lessons we can learn then we must do so to ensure that the mistakes of the past should never be repeated.”

Working alongside the BBC’s own HR department, Rose will assist the BBC in reviewing its policies and processes relating to sexual harassment and ensuring existing structures and resources are properly deployed to guarantee support to any complainant. She will then make any recommendations for improvements that may be required. The independent expert will report directly to BBC Director-General George Entwistle.
On Friday the Met Police launched – Operation Yewtree – an enquiry into alleged child sexual exploitation by the late Top of the Pops presenter Jimmy Savile and other stars.
After two weeks of gathering information from both the public and a number of organisations an excess of 400 lines of enquiry were assessed and over 200 potential victims identified.

Commander Peter Spindler said: “The public’s response to this issue has been astounding. We are dealing with alleged abuse on an unprecedented scale. The profile of this operation has empowered a staggering number of victims to come forward to report the sexual exploitation which occurred during their childhood.
“I am pleased that victims feel confident enough to speak out about the abuse they suffered and would like to reassure the public that we take all these cases very seriously and they will be investigated with the utmost sensitivity. Anyone with information or concerns should call NSPCC on 0808 800 5000.”

The Met also noted that a police investigation isn’t focused primarily on the alleged actions of the late Jimmy Savile instead the investigation is investigating living people.
Last night the BBC aired an edition of Panorama that questioned why last year a Newsnight investigation into Jimmy Savile and his apparent abuse of young people was dropped shortly before BBC One aired a couple of tribute programmes to the DJ and TV presenter. It was ITV which ultimately ‘exposed’ the Jim’ll Fix It hosts’ wrong doings earlier this month in a documentary.