Taxpayers’ bill to compensate Savile victims could hit £30million: Lawyers have racked up six-figure costs as they squabble over payment scheme



Lawyers rack-up six-figure bill as they squabble over compensation deal



Believed to be around 500 victims who could each claim up to £60,000

Public purse will underwrite claims not covered by Savile's £3.3m estate



Jimmy Savile, who died in 2011. Expensive litigation threatens to engulf his entire £3.3million legacy

Taxpayers face a growing bill for Jimmy Savile’s crimes because of a bitter and expensive dispute over his estate.



Lawyers have already racked up six-figure costs as they squabble over the compensation scheme for victims of the sick sexual predator who died in 2011.



The expensive litigation, which has already dragged on for 20 months, threatens to engulf his entire £3.3million legacy.



Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said the public purse will underwrite any claims not met by Savile’s estate, for which NatWest is the executor.



This could be extremely costly as compensation could run into tens of millions of pounds.



Law firms have already taken on almost 200 victims but there are believed to be around 500 in total who could each claim up to £60,000 compensation – giving a maximum bill, in theory, of £30million.



However, many will receive far less than £60,000 while others may not choose to claim at all.



Nevertheless, the latest explosion of disgust over Savile’s vile activities in hospitals over almost 50 years is likely to motivate another wave of people to come forward.



It emerged this week that Savile boasted of stealing glass eyes from bodies, performed sex acts on corpses and may even have been involved in the death of a teenage girl.



One source close to the legal row said: ‘The legal fees on both sides are huge and the lawyers for the estate are fighting it every step of the way.



'It is the bank doing everything it can to protect the money and themselves from the possible impact of the compensation claims.’



Another added: ‘We are trying our hardest to make sure legal costs do not swallow the estate, but invoices worth hundreds of thousands have already been paid out.’



The bitter dispute brought all parties to the High Court earlier this year as they fought to thrash out an acceptable compensation scheme.



Law firms have already taken on almost 200 of Savile's (pictured) victims but there are believed to be around 500 in total who could each claim up to £60,000 compensation - giving a maximum bill, in theory, of £30million

Mr Justice Sales sanctioned a scheme brought forward by NatWest, which does not guarantee payouts but creates a ‘sliding scale’ framework within which claims can be judged on their merits.



The money will be paid out from Savile’s estate, if any is left, and the coffers of the NHS, Department for Education and BBC, all of which have been accused of turning a blind eye to his crimes.



Savile’s estate has been frozen but his will left £20,000 between 20 friends, family and neighbours.



The money will be paid out from Savile's estate, if any is left, and the coffers of the NHS, Department for Education and BBC (pictured), all of which have been accused of turning a blind eye to his crimes

A further £600,000 was set aside for a trust fund which benefited eight people, and the remainder was to be held on behalf of the Jimmy Savile Charitable Trust.



A NatWest spokesman said: ‘The estate is under the overriding supervision of the High Court and we will continue to do everything possible to support a resolution that is in the interests of all parties.

