'Jimmy Savile effect' behind record OAP prisoner tally

PENSIONERS whose historical sex crimes have caught up with them are pushing the number of jail inmates aged 70-plus to record levels.

- By Matt Davis

The make-up of the prison population has changed as the so-called Jimmy Savile effect encourages abuse victims to seek justice years later.

There were 2,023 inmates aged 70 or over in English and Welsh jails last year, almost double the 1,028 inside 10 years earlier.

Some are so frail they need help with everyday tasks and their cellmates end up as "carers".

Dilemma

These older inmates now make up a record proportion of prisoners around one in 50.

Paedophile killer Sidney Cooke is believed to be the eldest at 97.