Hidden in plain sight, they were monsters. Self-centred, they used their privileged positions to satisfy their carnal lusts by preying on the young and the vulnerable in the egotistical belief that they would never be caught. One was Jimmy Savile and the other was Peter Jaconelli and they were friends if indeed such men could ever know what true friendship means.
At the top you can see an inset picture of the actor Steve Coogan alongside another more chilling picture of him in the role of Jimmy Savile as seen in a recent four episode BBC drama called "The Reckoning". In my opinion this was excellent and Steve Coogan played the challenging role quite brilliantly. It is believed that disc jockey and showman Savile sexually abused hundreds of people - many of whom were children.
He had two main homes - both in Yorkshire. One was in Leeds and the other was beside the sea in Scarborough. That is where he associated with the local ice cream magnate - Peter Jaconelli who was the mayor of the seaside town back in the seventies. Jaconelli had a penchant for boys and when his horrible legacy was first unveiled in the media, thirty two men came forward to air historical grievances concerning abuse and sexual assault.
Peter Jaconelli
I met Savile at St James's Palace in London when I was sixteen. He was a television legend and I got his autograph. We were both at a special event that commemorated some milestone or other in the history of The National Association of Youth Clubs. I was representing East Yorkshire youth clubs and he was there, presumably, to offer his support though looking back - a man like that should have had absolutely nothing to do with the youth club movement.
"The Reckoning" touched upon Savile's relationship with Jaconelli and after a little while I had a light bulb moment. I had also met Jaconelli! This was at an interview for Head of English at The Graham School in Scarborough around 1990 or 1991. He was the chair of the school governors. A big, pasty-faced barrel of a man, he seemed to dominate the room. He asked me an awkward question and my response began with, "I think that everyone in Yorkshire knows that the name Jaconelli is synonymous with Scarborough and..." but after thirty years I cannot remember what I said next.
Savile and Jaconelli are both long dead and disgraced. Their gravestones in Woodlands Cemetery, Scarborough have both been removed. However, though dead, they are sadly not forgotten because victims of sexual abuse carry their private hurt to the end of their days, their lives and their quests for happiness routinely impaired by memories of monsters and what they did.
from Yorkshire Pudding https://ift.tt/4TL13E7