What happened to mayor of Scarborough Peter Jaconelli, Jimmy Savile's friend?
He features in two episodes of BBC drama The Reckoning.
*Warning: This article contains discussions of sexual abuse that some may find distressing.*
Jimmy Savile's extensive sexual abuse is the central focus of BBC drama The Reckoning, but he's not the only predator who features in the series.
Ray Teret, a DJ from Manchester who was mentored by Savile before he became a household name, is also included in the script, as is Peter Jaconelli, the mayor of Scarborough and businessman who was friends with Savile.
Who was Peter Jaconelli, the mayor of Scarborough?
Jaconelli was the major of Scarborough from 1971 - 1972. He was also the chairman of the North Yorkshire county council planning committee for a number of years, and head of the economic development, planning, land and harbour committees of the district council.
As well as his political pursuits, Jaconelli had his own successful ice cream business, which began with his great-great-grandfather, who emigrated from Italy to Glasgow, Scotland in 1833. As competition increased over the years, Jaconelli's father moved to Scarborough and it was there that he first became involved in the trade, later taking over.
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He also trained to be an opera singer at the Royal College of Music, and in Naples.
Jaconelli died in 1999, aged 73, and was buried close to Savile in a North Yorkshire cemetery.
Following an investigation by BBC Inside Out into allegations about Savile and Jaconelli, which aired in 2014, 35 people came forward, with 32 of the cases relating to Jaconelli between 1958 and 1998.
The claims included rape, indecent assault, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and gross indecency.
Initially, his relatives said they weren't aware of any evidence to support those claims, but they later admitted that they had begun to doubt his innocence.
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A couple of months later, the initial enquiry into Jaconelli was expanded and North Yorkshire Police also referred itself to the police watchdog following claims that the authorities knew he was a paedophile but did not take action due to his standing in the local community.
In response to the developments, Jaconelli was stripped of his civic honours by the town council.
In 2015, it was reported that he had been charged with indecent assault in the early '70s, with a case file given to the Director of Public Prosecution's (DPP) office, which is now the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). But "the records do not show whether a prosecution was authorised or whether the charge was subsequently dropped", or "which police force had been responsible for the investigation", said a CPS spokesperson (via ITV News).
Assistant chief constable Paul Kennedy said at the time: "The available information indicates that, historically, the police missed opportunities to look into allegations against these men whilst they were still alive."
It also emerged that a detective with North Yorkshire Police hadn't submitted a report on Savile and Jaconelli following allegations being made, but the watchdog did say that the claims were examined "diligently", so there was no concern about any misconduct.
Who plays Peter Jaconelli in The Reckoning?
Peter Wight portrays Jaconelli.
His CV includes BBC sitcom Early Doors, ITV comedy Monday Monday, Hit & Miss with Chloë Sevigny, ITV crime drama Case Sensitive, Public Enemies starring Anna Friel and Daniel Mays, BBC One's The Paradise, and ITV true crime A Confession, which charted the crimes of taxi driver Christopher Halliwell.
He also played a pub landlord in Hot Fuzz.
If you've been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, visit the NHS website or Victim Support for information and support.
Read more:
- The Reckoning's Steve Coogan defends "disturbing" morgue scene
- What happened to Dan Davies from The Reckoning?
- Jimmy Savile's relationship with his mother Agnes, explained
- Who is Bill Cotton from The Reckoning?
- Who plays Margaret Thatcher in The Reckoning?
All four episodes of The Reckoning are available to watch now on BBC iPlayer. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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