Ray Teret now: What happened after Jimmy Savile's death?
Note: This story discusses topics including rape and sexual assault.
The new BBC drama The Reckoning tells the story of how Jimmy Savile rose to prominence and hid in plain sight for decades, using his public profile to commit atrocious sexual crimes against minors and others.
The four-part drama, which is available to stream on BBC iPlayer, begins in the early 1960s as Savile – played by Steve Coogan – is making a name for himself as a disc jockey in Leeds and Manchester.
His early sets in dance halls see him accompanied by Ray Teret – played by Chernobyl actor Robert Emms – who Savile describes as an apprentice while insisting he call Savile "Father".
The real Teret, apparently known as "Ugly Ray", was a DJ from Altrincham and was mentored by Savile in the early days of his career.
Like Savile, he was a prolific paedophile.
Teret, aged 73, was jailed for 25 years in 2014 for seven counts of rape and 11 counts of indecent assault. He was found guilty of abusing girls between the ages of 12 and 15 during the 1960s and 1970s, when he was a popular Manchester DJ.
Teret was found not guilty of aiding and abetting Savile in the rape of a 15-year-old girl, but was found guilty of raping her himself.
When the sentencing was read out, there was applause from the public gallery, which contained a number of the case complainants. One victim who was raped by Teret when she was 12 told BBC News at the time: "He knew I was a kid, he could see I was a kid. I've had to live with what he has done all my life."
Nazir Afzal, chief crown prosecutor for the north west of England, said of Teret: "He used his status to target young and vulnerable girls who were impressionable and in some cases simply starstruck.
"He singled his victims out for attention using charm and flattery, before subjecting them to traumatic and callous assaults."
Mr Justice Baker said during Teret's sentencing: "It is clear that you exploited your celebrity status to sexually abuse young girls when they were between 13 and 15 years of age.
"Those who were raped had little or no understanding what was happening to them and felt they could do little to prevent the abuse taking place."
DCI Graham Brock said outside the court that Teret had finally been "exposed" as a "manipulative and dangerous" sexual predator after decades of hiding behind his position as a radio presenter. Teret had "cast a dark shadow" over his victims' lives, Brock said.
"I know from speaking to them personally how devastating the effects of his abuse have been. They have courageously relived their ordeal at court and should be applauded for having the bravery to speak out and bring this man to justice for his appalling crimes."
Liz Dux, an abuse lawyer at Slater & Gordon which represented more than a hundred of Savile's victims and one of Teret's, said Teret had been proved to be a predatory paedophile "in the same mould as his friend Savile".
Dux added: "Yet again it shows victims of sexual assault that, even years after offences have been committed, they will be taken seriously, offenders can be punished and justice finally done."
Teret died aged 80 in HMP Manchester in 2021 of "advanced terminal colon cancer", the Manchester Evening News reported. He had served six years of his sentence.
The Reckoning airs on BBC One and the full series is also available on BBC iPlayer.
If you've been affected by the issues raised in this story, you can access more information from Rape Crisis England and Wales, who work towards the elimination of all forms of sexual violence and sexual misconduct, on their website or by calling the National Rape Crisis Helpline on 0808 802 9999. Rape Crisis Scotland's helpline number is 08088 01 03 02.
Readers in the US are encouraged to contact RAINN, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800-656-4673.
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