Jimmy Savile's former mountainside property damaged by fire

Sky News

09-02-2025

A property formerly owned by paedophile Jimmy Savile has been damaged by fire, according to reports.
The property in Glen Coe, Scotland, had been set to be demolished after failed redevelopment plans and years of vandalism.
However, at around 5.30pm on Saturday emergency services were called after reports of a blaze at one of the outbuildings.
The A82 was shut in both directions.
A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: "Emergency services attended and the fire was extinguished by Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
"Inquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances."
What was the Jimmy Savile scandal?
Veteran DJ and broadcaster Jimmy Savile died in October 2011 aged 84 after a suspected bout of pneumonia
At the time, tributes poured in for the former Radio 1 host, famed for presenting BBC shows Jim'll Fix It and Top of the Pops and who was knighted by the Queen in 1990
Shortly after his death, a report by two Newsnight journalists investigating stories of abuse by Savile was cancelled for editorial reasons, according its then-editor, weeks before a Christmas tribute was broadcast
An ITV documentary then aired in 2012 featuring five women who said they were indecently assaulted by Savile when they were schoolgirls in the late 1960s and 1970s
The Met Police launched Operation Yewtree in October 2012 to investigate allegations of abuse by Savile and others, with hundreds of alleged victims coming forward
An NSPCC study in 2014 found Savile abused at least 500 people, with the youngest victim just two years old
A 2016 inquiry, by former High Court judge Dame Janet Smith, found at least 72 people were sexually abused by Savile in connection with his work at the BBC. They included eight victims who were raped - with the youngest victim just 10 years old
The inquiry found the offending took place from 1959 to 2006, with the largest number of victims connected to Savile's work on Top of the Pops
Savile is now believed to have been one of Britain's most prolific sex offenders, having died without ever facing justice
It was auctioned in 2013 and was described as "a traditional refurbished detached cottage in an attractive location within scenic Highland countryside".
"The grounds also boast a large outbuilding with one bedroom chalet, log store and there are garden grounds with waterfalls and a large parking area to front," the description said.
Its current owner has been granted planning permission to demolish the existing property and replace it with a new four-bedroom, one-and-a-half storey house.
The redevelopment will also celebrate another of the cottage's former owners - Scottish climber Dr Hamish MacInnes.
He invented ice axes and a stretcher used by mountain rescue teams all over the world.
Former BBC television and radio presenter Savile, who died in 2011, is believed to be one of Britain's most prolific sex offenders.