A SCOTS niece of disgraced star Jimmy Savile said she “spent the first week crying” over the underage sex allegations against her uncle.
Pam Ward says she feels “ashamed” after it emerged the former television icon had assaulted literally hundreds of young women and girls.
The 66-year-old who lives in Edinburgh said she and the rest of her family had “never known” of the allegations against Savile.
The former auxiliary nurse said they now feel like they “they will never get over it”.
And she admitted Savile’s family would not know where to start apologising to the alleged victims of the sex scandal.
Pam said: “It was disbelief at first – it’s like I’ve lived a sheltered life and never known any of these things were going on.
“The first week I practically spent the first week crying. I’ve been sent lots of flowers, had phone calls and cards and people offering their support.
“It’s nothing to do with me, but in a sense I feel ashamed. I’m sure it’s the same for the rest of the family although I wouldn’t like to speak for them.”
Pam, now married to husband Tony and with four kids of her own, said she wouldn’t know what to say to the families of those affected by the investigation that spans nearly four decades and with 400 lines of inquiry – with Lothian and Borders Police also believed to handling abuse claims.
Last week 68-year-old former glam rock star Gary Glitter was also arrested in connection with the allegations surrounding Jimmy Savile.
Adopted
She added: “My husband and I watched the Panaroma programme and it was disbelief at first – all these women who have come forward.
“Everyone has been talking about all this awful stuff – the good work he committed himself to all his life has been quickly forgotten.
“What can I say? What would you say to the victims if it was your relative?
“I don’t think the family will ever get over it really.”
Pam only found out that Jimmy Savile, who died aged 84 exactly a year ago, was her uncle 23 years ago.
She had been adopted at 18-months-old and waited until her adoptive parents had died before trying to search for her biological family.
This was when she discovered her dad was John Henry Savile – Jimmy’s older brother.
However she cut ties with her father in 1998 with her father just before he died but it is unknown why.
Pam used to work at St Columba’s Hospice in north Edinburgh and fondly recalled how Jimmy used to help the centre by sending autographs.
She said: “I worked for St Columba’s for 22 years and used Jimmy to raise its profile.
He used to send signed cards and we posted him a cancer band which he wore to support the hospice.
“I used to ask him to post his picture and autograph with a brief message for the kids at St Columba’s and he would never let us down.
“I believe he phoned up to thank us because he couldn’t visit in person.”
Pam admits she’d like to just remember Jimmy “as a nice man” still with his photographs on her wall and would like to think in time others will do the same.
She added: “He came across as an eccentric doing good in public and to his family he was just a nice man – all that has been destroyed in three or four weeks.
“Hopefully in years to come they will look back at some of the good work he did bu ti understand it’s pretty unlikely.”
