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Man who said he was victim of VIP child sexual abuse ring charged Man who said he was victim of VIP child sexual abuse ring charged
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The man who claimed to have been the victim of a VIP child sexual abuse and murder ring has been charged with 12 counts of perverting the course of justice and one of fraud. The man whose claims of a VIP paedophile ring sparked a £2m Scotland Yard investigation targeting pillars of the establishment has been charged with 12 counts of lying to detectives and receiving £22,000 in compensation through fraud.
The claims from “Nick” led to Scotland Yard’s disastrous Operation Midland investigation. He is charged over false claims of child sexual abuse and child killings. The claims by “Nick”, made first in the media and then to detectives, led to the Metropolitan police’s disastrous Operation Midland investigation.
The Crown Prosecution Service said on Tuesday it had authorised the series of criminal charges against the 50-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons. The Crown Prosecution Service said on Tuesday he had been charged with 12 counts of perverting the course of justice which allege he made up evidence to support his claims to police made between 2012 and 2016.
The claims led to the Met investigating public figures including the former military chief Lord Bramall, the former home secretary Leon Brittan and the former Conservative MP Harvey Proctor. His allegations led to the Met investigating and raiding the homes of public figures including the former military chief Lord Bramall, the former home secretary Leon Brittan and the former Conservative MP Harvey Proctor.
One charge against Nick relates to Proctor and accuses him of “doing acts tending and intended to pervert the course of public justice, in that he made a false allegation of witnessing the child homicide of an unnamed boy committed by Mr Harvey Proctor”. The 50-year-old, who can only be referred to as Nick for legal reasons, is alleged to have perverted the course of justice when he claimed to have been physically and sexually abused; lied when he said he witnessed three children being killed by the establishment paedophile ring; and perverted the course of justice when he gave detectives a pen knife and two military epaulettes falsely alleging that he had retained them from when he was abused.
On Tuesday the CPS said it had examined evidence from an investigation by Northumbria police before making its decision. The charges claim that Nick “falsified an … email account and provided false information purportedly sent from ‘Fred’, an individual who he had named as present when he was abused by a paedophile ring”. Sketches of locations where the abuse were alleged to have taken place, passed by Nick to police, also amount to a perversion of the course of justice, the CPS said.
He is also alleged to have made fraudulent representations to the criminal injuries compensation authority.
He will appear on 5 September at Westminster magistrates court.
The claims made by Nick relate to the period between 1975 and 1984, when he was aged between seven and 16.
On Tuesday, the CPS said it had examined evidence from an investigation by Northumbria police before making its decision to bring 13 criminal charges against Nick.
Frank Ferguson, the CPS head of special crime, said: “The CPS has considered a file of evidence from Northumbria police relating to allegations of perverting the course of justice and fraud by a 50-year-old man.Frank Ferguson, the CPS head of special crime, said: “The CPS has considered a file of evidence from Northumbria police relating to allegations of perverting the course of justice and fraud by a 50-year-old man.
“The police investigation provided evidence that the man had made a number of false allegations alleging multiple homicides and sexual abuse said to have been carried out in the 1970s and 1980s. Following careful consideration we have concluded there is sufficient evidence to bring a number of criminal charges. “The police investigation provided evidence that the man had made a number of false allegations alleging multiple homicides and sexual abuse said to have been carried out in the 1970s and 1980s. Following careful consideration, we have concluded there is sufficient evidence to bring a number of criminal charges.”
“He has today been charged with 12 counts of perverting the course of justice and one count of fraud and will appear before Westminster magistrates court in due course.” Details of the charges released by the CPS include that Nick perverted the course of justice when “he made a false allegation of witnessing the child homicide of an unnamed boy committed by Mr Harvey Proctor” and two other claims that he saw a child killed.
The fallout from Operation Midland, which collapsed amid heavy criticism of the police, led to an inquiry by a retired senior judge, Sir Richard Henriques. He is charged with falsely alleging “that he had been sexually and physically abused by a paedophile ring, with senior ranking officers within the military, military intelligence, a TV presenter and other unidentified men accused as members”.
The inquiry report, published in 2016, identified 43 failings by Met detectives who had spent 16 months and more than £2m pursuing the allegations. Nick is also charged with having “falsely claimed that he had suffered serious injuries as a result of having been sexually and physically abused as a child”.
The criminal charges say Nick perverted the course of justice when he “falsely alleged that he had been sexually and physically abused by a paedophile ring, with senior ranking officers within the military, military intelligence, a TV presenter and other unidentified men accused as members.” In November 2014, the Met announced that Operation Midland would investigate the claims and drafted in elite detectives from the child abuse investigation command and the homicide and major crime command.
Three of the charges allege he falsely claimed to have witnessed child homicides. A month later, a senior detective said Nick’s claims were believed to be “credible and true”. The Scotland Yard investigation found evidence that they believed pointed to the credibility of aspects of his account.
It is also alleged that Nick perverted the course of justice when he “provided a list of sexual abusers and locations falsely alleging that he had been subjected to physical and sexual abuse by the said sexual abusers at the said locations.” Investigations into Bramall and Brittan were dropped and Operation Midland was closed by March 2016.
He is also charged with perverting the course of justice when he “provided sketches of locations at which he had been physically and sexually abused, falsely claiming that he had produced them from memory”. The way the investigation was conducted led to vehement criticism of the Met from parts of the media.
Nick is also alleged to have “provided a pen knife and two military epaulettes falsely alleging that he had retained them from when he was abused as a child” and to have “falsely claimed that he had suffered serious injuries as a result of having been sexually and physically abused as a child”. The decision to raid Bramall’s home, distressing his then-ill and now-deceased wife, elicited considerable public sympathy for the D-Day veteran. The police have apologised and paid compensation.
Another CPS charge alleges Nick “falsified an … email account and provided false information purportedly sent from ‘Fred’, an individual who he had named as present when he was abused by a paedophile ring.”
He is also alleged to have perverted the course of justice when “he went together with investigators on site visits and falsely alleged that it was at locations identified by him during those visits that he had been subjected to physical and sexual abuse by a paedophile ring”.
The single fraud charge alleges that Nick “on or about the day of 26 September 2013 dishonestly made representations to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, namely that he was subjected to abuse by a paedophile ring, knowing this to be untrue and intending thereby to make a gain for himself”.
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