Abuse of police power

WHY have no senior police been disciplined for their gross mishandling of paedophilia allegations by the fantasist ‘Nick’?

This paper accepts that claims of child abuse must always be taken seriously. But the treatment of Nick’s story of a Westminster child-sex ring – involving Sir Edward Heath, war hero Lord Bramall and former Home Secretary Lord Brittan – was frankly deplorable.

Shamefully abetted by the BBC, police spread his outlandish smears – even declaring them ‘credible and true’ – while mounting mob-handed raids on the falsely accused.

Thus, they spread anguish and dragged distinguished reputations through the mud. Even when it became clear that Nick was a fantasist, they were painfully slow to admit it – and slower still to apologise.

As for Nick himself, not only was he awarded £50,000 compensation. As the Mail reveals today, he inspired another alleged fantasist – now awarded core participant status in Alexis Jay’s child abuse inquiry – to bring rape allegations against ex- MP John Hemming, who describes his nightmare on Pages 22 & 23.

With nobody held to account for this truly chilling episode – indeed, the officer in dayto-day charge has been promoted, while the Met chief who oversaw it sits snugly in the Lords – how can we be sure nothing similar will happen again?