Hundreds say BBC star sexually abused them

LONDON -- About 450 people have told British police they were sexually abused by the late BBC television star Jimmy Savile, including 31 women who claim he raped them.

Investigators probing "historical" abuse claims have recorded 199 crimes involving Savile in 17 local jurisdictions since the scandal emerged in October, a year after the entertainer died at 84, the Metropolitan Police Service said Wednesday.

"These levels of reporting of sexual abuse against a single individual are unprecedented in the U.K.," the police said. "The majority of work in relation to offenses reported against him acting alone has now been completed, although further victims may yet come forward."

The BBC was plunged into crisis after ITV Plc aired a story about five women who said they were abused by Savile as children. Police are probing claims dating back as far as 1959 and as recent as 2006, including that Savile misused his status as a charity worker to abuse hospital patients.

Seven other entertainment figures have been arrested in the probe, including suspects who may not be connected to Savile. -- Bloomberg News