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Met officers will not face action over VIP child abuse inquiry Met officers will not face action over VIP child abuse inquiry
(about 2 hours later)
The police watchdog has decided no officer should face disciplinary action over the botched Scotland Yard investigation into bogus claims of a VIP child abuse ring. Police hunting a bogus VIP paedophile ring found their main witness was so credible that they wanted to arrest the former home secretary Leon Brittan, a report has revealed.
The report from the Independent Office for Police Conduct was released on Monday morning amid claims of a whitewash. The report from the the Independent Office for Police Conduct, released on Monday, decided no officer should face disciplinary action over the botched Scotland Yard investigation into bogus claims of a VIP child abuse ring, triggering claims of a whitewash.
The IOPC said it had found “shortcomings and organisational failings”, with 16 recommendations made to change policing practice. It said it found no evidence officers had deliberately misled a district court judge when it applied for search warrants in February 2015 to raid the home of suspects who turned out to be innocent. The investigation, known as Operation Midland, targeted establishment figures including Lord Brittan, the former military chief Edwin Bramall and the former Conservative MP Harvey Proctor. The Metropolitan police now accepts that all three men are innocent and falsely accused by Carl Beech, originally known as “Nick”, who in July was jailed for 18 years for his lies.
The IOPC inquiry began after the Metropolitan police referred five officers who had been involved in Operation Midland to the police watchdog.
Operation Midland was set up by the Metropolitan police in November 2014 to examine allegations of child sexual abuse and homicide. It was based on false claims by Carl Beech, known as "Nick", that he was abused by public figures of authority from 1975 to 1984, and witnessed the abuse of others.Operation Midland was set up by the Metropolitan police in November 2014 to examine allegations of child sexual abuse and homicide. It was based on false claims by Carl Beech, known as "Nick", that he was abused by public figures of authority from 1975 to 1984, and witnessed the abuse of others.
He made widely reported false allegations about being taken to parties at exclusive private members’ clubs, in Dolphin Square in London and other locations – including swimming pools – attended by among others the former prime minister Sir Edward Heath, the former home secretary Leon Brittan, the then chief of defence staff Lord Bramall, the ex-MI5 chief Sir Michael Hanley, as well as the former Tory MP Harvey Proctor.He made widely reported false allegations about being taken to parties at exclusive private members’ clubs, in Dolphin Square in London and other locations – including swimming pools – attended by among others the former prime minister Sir Edward Heath, the former home secretary Leon Brittan, the then chief of defence staff Lord Bramall, the ex-MI5 chief Sir Michael Hanley, as well as the former Tory MP Harvey Proctor.
Operation MIdland was closed in March 2016 with no charges brought. Beech was jailed for 18 years in July 2019 for making the claims. He is appealing against the conviction and the sentence. Operation MIdland was closed in March 2016 with no charges brought. Beech was jailed for 18 years in July 2019 for making the claims. He is appealing against the conviction and the sentence. 
A 2016 report into the investigation said it was ‘riddled with errors’, identifying 43 individual errors made by officers, that the team misled a judge to get search warrants, and finding that five officers, including four detectives and a deputy assistant commissioner, would be referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission for failings.A 2016 report into the investigation said it was ‘riddled with errors’, identifying 43 individual errors made by officers, that the team misled a judge to get search warrants, and finding that five officers, including four detectives and a deputy assistant commissioner, would be referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission for failings.
The high-profile Met investigation ran from 2014 to 2016 and hunted for establishment figures alleged to have been involved in a child sexual abuse and murder ring, which turned out to be based on lies from a fantasist. The report describes how police came to apply for search warrants, leading to property linked to Brittan being raided after his death. Police were accused of misleading a judge to get them by omitting mention of inconsistencies in Nick’s account.
A report commissioned for the Met and carried out by retired judge Sir Richard Henriques castigated the Met and found 43 errors. The key error, Henriques said, was that police misled a judge to get warrants to search suspects’ homes. The IOPC said a Met police chief, deputy assistant commissioner Steve Rodhouse, wrote that among reasons to apply for the warrants was “a perceived failure to investigate Nick’s allegations being damaging to the MPS and the confidence of further victims”.
Michael Lockwood, director general of the IOPC, said: “Did the officers involved make mistakes? Yes. Could police processes have been improved? Almost certainly. But did they deliberately exclude information to secure the warrants? Our investigation found no evidence of that. It reveals the decision log of DCI Diane Tudway, who wrote on 23 January 2015, the day after Brittan’s death: “Whilst he has now passed away, he remains a suspect for the purpose of this enquiry.
“The IOPC is very clear that there must be accountability and assurance to the public that the weaknesses we have identified are addressed so these mistakes can never be repeated. Our report makes 16 recommendations for the MPS and other stakeholders in the police and criminal justice system. “Had he not passed away he would have been subject to a decision to arrest. Whilst arrest will now not happen I have grounds to believe that there were indictable offences committed, that there is material at those premises which will be of substantive value to the investigation either by way of a record of events, photographs or videos.”
One of those who was a target of Operation Midland, the former Conservative MP Harvey Proctor, attacked the police watchdog’s findings, saying: “This report shows the IOPC is worse than useless. It actually defends the police against the authoritative findings of Henriques because they wanted to boost public confidence in themselves. Tudway’s decision log continued: “I understand this is a time of mourning for LB’s [Lord Brittan’s] family, this plan will be HR [human rights] compliant.”
“The home secretary should remove the IOPC director general and the IOPC must be abolished and replaced by experts who are genuinely qualified to assess and to criticise police failings. We now know the police watchdog is blind...” The report says a decision was made to “offer a voluntary interview to Lord Bramall and Mr Proctor rather than to arrest”.
Police also targeted former military chief Edwin Bramall and former home secretary Leon Brittan. The Met now accepts that Lord Bramall, Lord Brittan and Proctor are innocent and falsely accused by Carl Beech, who in July was jailed for 18 years for his lies. The detail of the IOPC report shows the decision to seek search warrants was approved by Rodhouse: “It is outlined that the purpose of the searches would be to locate and secure any evidence to ‘corroborate (or discredit)’ the allegations made by ‘Nick’.
“During the consideration of his decision, he wrote that, despite the lack of corroboration, the investigation had not revealed any cause to disbelieve ‘Nick’. DAC Rodhouse recorded that ‘Nick’ had remained consistent and detailed in his accounts and that he had been told that the inquiry team and his counsellor believed him to be credible.”
The IOPC said it had found “shortcomings and organisational failings”, with 16 recommendations made to change policing practice. But it said it found no evidence officers had deliberately misled a district court judge when it applied for search warrants in February 2015 to raid the home of suspects who turned out to be innocent.
Officers on Midland believed the search warrants were “the least intrusive way in which the investigation could progress”, the report says.
On the application for the search warrants, police wrote in a section where they had to say why they believed offences had been committed: “The victim in this matter has been interviewed at length by experienced officers from the child abuse investigation team. His account has remained consistent and he is felt to be a credible witness who is telling the truth.”
The IOPC says during its inquiry, the detectives could not remember why certain decisions were made and it was not clear whether those in command knew of an earlier complaint from Beech, made to Wiltshire police, which contained inconsistencies compared with what he told the Met two years later.
The report says Rodhouse wrote that reasons for applying for search warrants at an early stage included: “The high degree of public interest … The allegations, and the named subjects were already well-known to the media … Nick himself having direct access to the media … A perceived failure to investigate ‘Nick’s’ allegations being damaging to the MPS and the confidence of further victims.”
The IOPC inquiry began after the Metropolitan police referred five officers who had been involved in Operation Midland to the police watchdog. Only one answered questions face to face, two had retired and Rodhouse and Det Supt Kenny McDonald were assessed by the IOPC as not requiring full investigation for any discipline or criminal matters.
The high-profile Met investigation ran from 2014 to 2016 and hunted for establishment figures alleged to have been involved in a child sexual abuse and murder ring, which turned out to be based on lies from a fantasist. It ended with no arrests.
The Met has paid compensation to Bramall and to Brittan’s family but has yet to finalise a deal with Proctor.
A report commissioned for the Met and carried out by the retired judge Sir Richard Henriques castigated the force and found 43 errors. The key error, Henriques said, was that police misled a judge to get warrants to search suspects’ homes.
Michael Lockwood, the director general of the IOPC, said: “Did the officers involved make mistakes? Yes. Could police processes have been improved? Almost certainly. But did they deliberately exclude information to secure the warrants? Our investigation found no evidence of that.
“The IOPC is very clear that there must be accountability and assurance to the public that the weaknesses we have identified are addressed so these mistakes can never be repeated. Our report makes 16 recommendations for the MPS and other stakeholders in the police and criminal justice system.”
Proctor, one of Operation Midland’s targets, criticised the police watchdog’s findings, saying: “This report shows the IOPC is worse than useless. It actually defends the police against the authoritative findings of Henriques because they wanted to boost public confidence in themselves.
“The home secretary should remove the IOPC director general and the IOPC must be abolished and replaced by experts who are genuinely qualified to assess and to criticise police failings. We now know the police watchdog is blind.”
Henriques also criticised the IOPC’s findings before the police watchdog published its report, writing in the Daily Mail: “Maintenance of law and order depends upon the effective oversight of those invested with power. Who guards the guards themselves? A malfunctioning police force has not received the necessary oversight.”Henriques also criticised the IOPC’s findings before the police watchdog published its report, writing in the Daily Mail: “Maintenance of law and order depends upon the effective oversight of those invested with power. Who guards the guards themselves? A malfunctioning police force has not received the necessary oversight.”
Henriques claimed the IOPC investigator who conducted the case “informed me she had no legal training [and] was not fully aware of the process for obtaining warrants”.Henriques claimed the IOPC investigator who conducted the case “informed me she had no legal training [and] was not fully aware of the process for obtaining warrants”.
The retired judge added: “The investigative process itself was minimal, unprofessional and the decision-making was flawed.”The retired judge added: “The investigative process itself was minimal, unprofessional and the decision-making was flawed.”
The IOPC defended itself from Henriques and said: “As Sir Richard writes ‘no subject should be tried without proper investigation’. And, as he acknowledges in his own review, the IOPC is the right and correct authority to do this. Our investigation was both independent and impartial. “ The home secretary, Priti Patel, has asked the inspectorate of constabulary to check the Met is carrying out reforms recommended by both the IOPC and Henriques.
Of the five officers referred to the police watchdog after the Henriques report, two were exonerated by the IOPC at the first stage, including the former deputy assistant commissioner Steve Rodhouse, who oversaw the latter stages of Operation Midland. Three detectives faced investigations, of whom two declined to answer oral questions and attend face-to-face interviews with IOPC investigators. The watchdog said it did not have the power to compel them to do so because they were retired at that point, so it accepted written answers. The third detective was interviewed face to face.
The home secretary, Priti Patel, has asked the inspectorate of constabulary to check the Met is carrying out reforms recommended by both the IOPC and Henriques.nds
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