Los Angeles/London: A report into the sexual abuse committed by BBC television and radio host Jimmy Savile has found that the culture at the broadcaster at the time tolerated his behavior.
The report by former judge Janet Smith, which was leaked last month, but published officially today, identified 72 victims of Savile's sexual abuse, including eight who were raped.
These were the incidents connected to Savile's employment at the BBC, which extended from 1964 to 2007, but do not include others that occurred at hospitals and other public institutions.
A 2014 report by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children found that he sexually abused at least 500 children.
After listing several complaints made by BBC staff members that were not acted on, Smith concludes, "It appears to me that the culture of the times both within and without the BBC was such that incidents of this kind were not treated seriously."
Smith also detailed multiple complaints made to BBC staff by members of the public, mostly teenage girls, about sexual abuse by Savile.
Some of the incidents occurred while his shows were being filmed.
Smith, after describing one such occasion, states, "It appears to me that the BBC floor staff at that time probably regarded this kind of conduct by Savile as harmless good fun and regarded a girl who complained about it as a nuisance."