Police investigating the alleged sexual abuse of girls by the late Sir Jimmy Savile are pursuing 120 separate lines of inquiry, Scotland Yard has said.
Police said they had recorded eight allegations against him, including two rapes, and there could be 30 victims.
Separately, his headstone will be removed from his grave in Scarborough after his family expressed concerns.
During a press briefing at the Metropolitan Police headquarters in London, police said the alleged victims were mainly girls who were aged between 13 and 16 at the time, and the allegations spanned four decades.
“At this stage it is quite clear from what women are telling us that Savile was a predatory sex offender,” said Commander Peter Spindler, head of specialist crime investigations, in an interview with the BBC.
“It’s vital that those who have been victims of that actually get the recognition and acknowledgement and support that they deserve.”
Cdr Spindler said that of the eight criminal allegations, six were alleged indecent assaults on teenage girls.
He said Savile’s pattern of offending behaviour appeared to be on “a national scale” and he had a “predilection for teenage girls”.
Cdr Spindler said the first allegation dated back to about 1959 but most seemed to be in the 70s and 80s.
The briefing was told that a range of different names had been reported to police, as well as Savile’s.
