The Yorkshire Ripper has apparently accused sex abuse victims of Jimmy Savile of "jumping on the bandwagon", calling the accusations of paedophilia against the former Top Of The Pops host "a load of crap".
Serial killed Peter Sutcliffe, a resident of high-security hospital Broadmoor - which was visited frequently by Savile - made an impassioned defence of Sir Jimmy on a tape leaked to The Sun newspaper.
He said on the tape: "I can’t fault him from my experiences of what he was like. I don’t care what these people who are coming out of the woodwork are saying.
Jimmy Savile with Frank Bruno and Peter Sutcliffe
"Coming forward after 40 or 50 years or whatever, they are jumping on the bandwagon.
"It only takes a couple of rumours and then it goes like wildfire. I don't believe he raped anyone. I think he kissed quite a few young women but that’s as far as he's gone.
"It's just going crazy, they love to savage people who are dead, people who can't hit back — or prisoners who can’t reply."
In 1991 Savile introduced boxing legend, Frank Bruno, to Sutcliffe at Broadmoor, when Bruno was there to open a new gym.
Broadmoor Hospital, which is managed by the West London Mental Health Trust, told The Huffington Post UK they were considering their response to the leaked tape.
Sutcliffe, who murdered 13 women in the 1970s, continues: “Coming forward after 40 or 50 years or whatever, they are jumping on the bandwagon.
"It only takes a couple of rumours and then it goes like wildfire. I don’t believe he raped anyone. I think he kissed quite a few young women but that's as far as he's gone.
"It's just going crazy, they love to savage people who are dead, people who can’t hit back — or prisoners who can’t reply.”
Sutcliffe said on the Sun's tape that he did not believe it would have been possible for Savile to have molested a patient in Broadmoor. He said: "People were always there. He was never alone with anybody, there were always people about. He never did anything at Broadmoor.
Former Broadmoor nurse Richard Harrison told Channel 4 News previously that paedophile patients "gravitated towards" Savile and that he had a "severe personality disorder and a liking for children.”
Police are following 400 lines of inquiry as part of the investigation into Savile's activities, and the BBC has launched an inquiry into the culture and practices at the broadcaster during the era of Savile's abuses.
Christine McFarlane, the director of nursing and patient care at Stoke Mandeville in the 1980s and 1990s, said she was unaware of the allegations against Savile, but told ITV News: "He walked through the doors everywhere because he was Jimmy Savile, nobody argued with him.
"There was a fine balance for them [staff] to reach in not upsetting Jimmy to the point where he was likely to walk away or try to take his money away.”
On Monday night, family members of Savile said they believed the "heartbreak" of the allegations had caused the death of Savile's nephew two weeks ago, according to the BBC.
Vivian Savile, the last male member of the family to share the DJ's surname, had "hero-worshipped" his uncle, and was devastated by the accusations.
"At the height of the media blitz, he became quiet and withdrawn, leading to a lack of interest in almost anything including food," the family said in a statement.
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Jimmy Savile Sexually Assaulted Us: Four Women Come Forward On Eve Of Documentary (PICTURES)