I was childhood victim of beast Jimmy Savile – I begged BBC not to make a drama about the paedophile
A CHILDHOOD victim of Jimmy Savile has told of his disgust at a BBC drama about the paedophile DJ and TV star.
Adam Taggart, 63, revealed he begged broadcasting bosses not to screen The Reckoning, which sees Steve Coogan play the prolific sex offender.
But he said his letter was ignored — and accused the Corporation of cashing in while stirring up harrowing memories for survivors.
Adam was picked up by Savile in the monster’s Rolls-Royce as he hitchhiked in Aviemore, Inverness-shire, as a boy in the early 1970s.
The fiend tried to rape him then sent Top of the Pops tickets to his residential unit.
Now the BBC four-parter, which charts how the DJ hid in plain sight during decades of depravity, has reawakened distressing memories for dad Adam.
The retired chef told The Scottish Sun on Sunday: “The BBC say they reached out to survivors.
"I’m one and they never contacted me.
“I reached out to let them know how damaging this programme would be but they didn’t even have the good grace to reply.
“It’s supposed to be entertainment but there’s nothing entertaining about what happened to me and other kids.
Most read in Scottish News
“Do they not realise this brings back horrific memories for his victims?
"They’re making money from our misery — I will never ever watch it. It’s disgusting.”
Adam, then of Dunavon kids’ home in Strathaven, Lanarkshire, was on holiday when he was targeted by Savile, who owned a cottage in Glencoe.
He was hitch-hiking back to a campsite with another lad when the predator pulled up in his flash car.
Adam — who had endured sickening violence by cruel nuns at Smyllum Park orphanage near Lanark — told how he recognised the famous DJ immediately.
He recalled: “We were trying to thumb a lift when the Rolls-Royce stopped a few yards in front of us.
“A chauffeur got out and opened the door — I knew exactly who it was. He asked what we were doing.
"We told him we were trying to get back to our campsite.
“He gave me and my friend a giant cigar and a tumbler each.
"We hung out the window to noise up other boys on the way past.
“The driver took us towards the Cairngorms when Savile sent him out with my pal to go buy sweets. That’s when he pounced on me.”
Adam — who gave evidence in cops’ Operation Yewtree probe — says the attack only stopped when his pal and the driver returned.
He fled after refusing an ice lolly from the beast, who was wearing shorts, T-shirt, gaudy gold rings and a crucifix.
The Reckoning star Coogan, 58, has admitted he thought “long and hard” about whether to portray Savile, who was exposed when hundreds of victims came forward after his death in 2011, aged 84.
But Adam said: “Coogan has been going on about how difficult he found playing Savile. He was still happy to take the money.”
The BBC says neither it nor ITV has any record of his letters and urged him to get in contact.
A spokesman said: "Drama uniquely allows us to place events in their emotional and historical context and examine the impact Savile’s horrific crimes had on the people he assaulted and the powerlessness many felt when they tried to raise the alarm.
"It is a factual drama based on detailed research, published accounts including the Dame Janet Smith report and extensive interviews with many survivors of Savile’s crimes.
"The accounts of survivors are central to the drama and ITV Studios spoke with many people who came forward as part of the research process whose lives were impacted by Savile.
"A number of fictionalised characters are included to reflect the experiences of multiple people in order to represent as many survivors of Savile as possible.
"The purpose of the drama is to understand how Savile used his celebrity and powerful connections to conceal his wrongdoing, and show how he used his involvement with institutions, in particular, the BBC to legitimise himself.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
"It aims to highlight the importance of confronting the horrors of the past and talking openly about abuse.”
We pay for your stories and videos! Do you have a story or video for The Scottish Sun? Email us at [email protected] or call 0141 420 5200