JIMMY Savile was "a prolific, predatory sex offender", two separate reports said today.

The disgraced TV presenter used his celebrity status to "hide in plain sight", with 214 criminal offences now recorded against him across 28 police forces, a report by Scotland Yard and the NSPCC found.

The earliest reported offence committed by Savile was in Manchester in 1955, and the final reported allegation was in 2009.

The offences cover the period when Savile worked at the BBC between 1965 and 2006 and include allegations linked to the final recording of Top of the Pops.

They also involve the period when he worked at Leeds General Infirmary between 1965 and 1995.

Abuse at Stoke Mandeville Hospital took place between 1965 and 1988, while at Duncroft School, a children's home in Surrey, the allegations cover a period between 1970 and 1978.

The report includes allegations that Savile committed five offences in Scotland.

Two of his alleged Scottish offences were in Strathclyde, one in Lothian and Borders, one in Fife and another in Grampian region.

A total of 450 people have come forward alleging sexual abuse against Savile, including 34 rapes and 126 indecent acts.

Of his victims, 73% were children, with the total victim age range running from eight to 47 at the time of the offences.

Commander Peter Spindler, who is leading the national investigation into Savile's abuse, said: "Savile's offending footprint was vast, predatory and opportunistic. He cannot face justice today, but we hope this report gives some comfort to his hundreds of victims."

Peter Watt, of the NSPCC, said: "The sheer scale of Savile's abuse over six decades simply beggars belief. He is without doubt one of the most prolific sex offenders we have ever come across and every number represents a victim that will never get justice now he is dead. But with this report we can at least show his victims that they have been taken seriously."