Jimmy Savile

Poll: Anger erupts over ‘tasteless’ display of book on Jimmy Savile in resort shop

BY MATT BUNN Monday, November 5, 2012
4:07 PM

A SHOP owner’s actions have been branded “insulting” after he displayed a book about disgraced presenter Jimmy Savile in his store window.

Outraged shoppers accused the shop of trying to profit from the sex abuse scandal after spotting the book in the front window of Poor Richard’s Books in Felixstowe last week.

The book has now been removed from sight after the issue was fiercely debated by Star readers on the social networking site Streetlife.

Speaking on the website, one reader said: “I want to go in to the shop, buy it and the rip the book to shreds in his shop and leave it there.”

Emma H added: “It’s my opinion that all Jimmy Savile souvenirs, memorabilia and books etc should be taken off the shelves.

“No one should be able to profit from this awful situation. If his family cared enough about the victims to remove and destroy his headstone, then surely retailers should follow suit.”

The owner of the shop, Richard Moffat, removed the book after pressure mounted from customers.

Some agreed that having the book in the front window was tasteless, while others said having to remove it was censoring the shop.

Marc T said: “It seems today that there are too many people who are too easily offended. I think the promotion of Savile’s book is tasteless, but by no means offensive.”

Nick W added: “Are we to now publicly flog him, or put him in stocks and throw rotten fruit at him? Or worse? Run him out of town?

“We do seem to live in a culture where anyone who makes a mistake, or in haste, says the wrong thing, is then publicly humiliated forever.”

The Star approached Mr Moffat about the incident but he declined to comment.

It is understood however that the book was placed in the window in an attempt to vilify Savile – it is not known when it was first displayed.

n What do you think? Write to Your Letters, Ipswich Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or send an e-mail to starletters@archant.co.uk

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19 comments

any jimmy books should have been put on bonfire he a sex offender do give them time of day but he is dead so quiet pointless all this

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Lee mundy

Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Surely the obvious response is to resort to grafitti, vandalism and to have packs of torch-brearing, pitchfork-waving locals roaming the streets to police shop windows to ensure a proper level of decency is maintained.

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bigger niche

Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Don't worry yourself Ipswich-Student. You'll learn fairly soon that the world can be nasty and brutish, and that life can be short.

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cwayconslt

Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Ah, the Great British Moral Panic. In which the hard-of-thinking decide to take offence at anything related to whatever the tabloids are screaming about this time.

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beerlover

Monday, November 5, 2012
When all newspaper and TV stations are also banned from mentioning JS then it should be banned from display or sale.

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kevinwj

Monday, November 5, 2012
Typical "holier than thou" attitude from small minded people. Of course Saville's actions are appalling but that doesn't mean a bookseller can't sell a book about him - arguably in the light of now known facts reading it might say something about our celebrity society and how values have become distorted - a social commentary of sorts. Better to debate intelligently why this monster was allowed to become such a popular presenter and apparently a charity supporter, rather tha resort to mob rule (like those strange men in brownshirts in germany in 1930s burning books?)

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paul

Monday, November 5, 2012
Richard is one of the nicest blokes you could meet. People need to get a grip. I bet all these "protesters" love Elvis and he liked them young!

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Jamie Versey

Monday, November 5, 2012
"Outraged shoppers" - people need more to occupy their minds. No wonder Suffolk people come across as hayseeds. Pity the paper can't find some "news" to print.

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Sarky Sage

Monday, November 5, 2012
As much as I have always loathed Mr Saville, and certainly disapporve of everything of which he has been accused, I can't help thinking we are in the middle of a vast witch hunt.

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Simon K

Monday, November 5, 2012
In addition I’m actually “outraged” that in a bid to get people to read their newspaper “The Ipswich Star” has published a picture of the heinous monster and attracted interest to this story. I demand that the editor explain himself the image should have been blacked out so as not to cause offense!! Am I hysterical enough yet?

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Ipswich-Ram

Monday, November 5, 2012
Can it be proven that the bookseller actually sought out the book from his stock and put it in the window as a direct result of the investigation into MR Saville? Or is this simply conjecture? I agree with what other people have put do you know in Waterstones there is an entire section entitled “Crime” inside this section you can find books written by Charles Bronson, The Kray gang, books about Myra Hindley and the Moors murders, reams and reams on the worst kind of monsters mankind has spewed upon the earth, and people are buying it! It’s horrible what has apparently happened but let’s have a reality check people.

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Ipswich-Ram

Monday, November 5, 2012
Jimmy Savile has not been found guilty of anything so please do not set yourselves up as judge, jury and executioner at this stage of the game.

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bignev

Monday, November 5, 2012
Selling books about a historical figure is completely different to selling books about a sensitive current topic. I don't think all Jimmy Savile books should be removed from sale but I do think that putting one in your shop window shows very poor taste indeed.

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Pepperpotty

Monday, November 5, 2012
While agreeing that Jimmy Savile books etc should not be promoted in any way we must be careful not to take this to the extreme. What next, burn all JS memorabilia in the streets. Smacks too much of Germany in the 1930's.

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how'd the town do

Monday, November 5, 2012
This is just mass hysteria of the worst sort. Perhaps it wasn't very good timing or taste by the bookseller, but are we now to turn into a society like Nazi Germany, where book-burning was the fashion,in another display of intolerance and crowd madness?

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T Doff

Monday, November 5, 2012
As far as I am aware, Jimmy Savile is accused of many things - but hasn't actually been found guilty of anything. What happened to innocent until PROVEN GUILTY?

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Sam

Monday, November 5, 2012
what a load of old codswallop. does that mean books about the Yorkshire ripper etc should be taken of the shelf's also ?. get real people. everyone has a choice what and what not to buy.

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mr angry

Monday, November 5, 2012
Some people do seem to take the morale high ground a lot these days and claim to be offended far too easily. If you look in a shop window, see a book about Saville and become "outraged" then you need to just relax a bit to be honest. Hitler wasnt a nice man either, im going to go and demand all book shops remove books about him and WW2. Its distasteful to our veterans.

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Monkey1986

Monday, November 5, 2012
I went into Waterstones yesterday, and saw a book about Hitler on the shelves. I was shocked that it wasn't kept behind the counter and away from children. What's more, the shop wouldn't sell me the book at cost price! They actually wanted to make a profit from the Holocaust! Can you believe it, a business trying to make a profit?

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Ipswich-Student

Monday, November 5, 2012

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