My husband was denied the dignified death that he deserved
AS Carl Beech was jailed for 18 years, the appalling consequences of his lies were laid bare in harrowing victim impact statements...
I EVEN NEEDED SECURITY AT MY HUSBAND’S BURIAL Diana Brittan, widow of Leon Brittan
‘My husband always believed in, and upheld, the rule of law and was passionate about fairness in the criminal justice system.
‘He respected the role of the police in our society. And yet, in the last year of his life he had to face, while desperately ill, a series of entirely false allegations and smears of the very worst kind.
‘I felt he was caught up in a totally unjustified witch hunt which took its toll on both him and me. The impact of these dreadful allegations on the entire global network of anyone caught up in such matters is indescribable, incalculable and unending.
‘It was against this backdrop that we had to deal with the emerging story of Operation Midland, where a very senior Metropolitan officer described the allegations of the defendant in this case, on more than one occasion, as ‘credible and true’.
‘My husband was alone in hospital terminally ill with cancer when the allegations were first made public and then, when the BBC interviewed “Nick” and made the story headline news, it went global.
‘On the day of his death, I had to deal with the press outside the front door and in the days that followed I had to face all the press coverage, some of it very distressing, whilst all the time trying to come to terms with my grief.
‘I was so worried I even had to arrange security for his burial, something no widow should have to do. The experience of having my house in London searched by a dozen police officers for 12 hours was traumatising. The impact of the trial in Newcastle has been for me like a second grief.
‘The reported comments made by the defendant about wanting to inflict extra pain on me and my family were particularly upsetting and hurtful, as were the ludicrous allegations made against my husband.
‘My husband’s name has now been cleared, but he will never know this. As a lawyer, he always believed in the judicial system – as do I, as a former magistrate. But the system has let him and my family down. I have also been asked by Julia Neuberger that the following information from her is presented to the court.’ Baroness Neuberger said: ‘I spent a considerable amount of time with Lord Brittan as his rabbi in his last weeks. He was hugely upset by the allegations.
‘[He told me] that all this made it difficult to concentrate on “getting better”. The effect was a cruel one – he felt desperately ill, cut off from much of his social and business circle, and traduced. It had a powerful effect on a brave man. He was denied the dignified death he deserved.’
I WAS NEVER AS BADLY WOUNDED IN THE MILITARY Field Marshal Lord Bramall
‘NICK made these devastating and monstrous allegations against me while protected by a cloak of anonymity.
‘Meanwhile everything about me was impugned in the court of public opinion.’ Lord Bramall said he was at home with his wife when the Met executed their search warrant on March 4, 2015.
‘My wife was bed-bound as she suffered with Alzheimer’s disease. When the police first arrived I genuinely had no idea why they were there and welcomed them with the words, “How very nice to see you”. The police proceeded to search my house resulting in us having to move my wife from room to room in her bed while they searched our home.
‘My wife continually asked me what was going on and what I had done. It was very difficult to explain due to the paucity of the information I had been given.
‘What really upset me is this: My record of public service speaks for itself. In service of my Queen and country I have done all that has been required of me. I have suffered both physically and emotionally as a result and did so without regret or complaint.
‘I thought I could hurt no more. I can honestly say however I was never as badly wounded in the military as I have been by the allegations made by Nick that formed the basis of Operation Midland.’
I HAVE A FEELING OF ICY CONTEMPT Ex-MP Harvey Proctor
‘THE criminality was intentional and malicious. I have never met him... yet he chose to spread vile and false rumours about me.
‘He knew they would cause ordinary people to revile and despise me. It is plain and obvious to anybody who examines his fanciful stories that they are beyond any possibility of belief.’
‘[The police were] instrumental in making public that I was twice taken into custody about his allegations. There was no evidence whatsoever against me from Mr Beech’s fanciful stories.
‘I lost my home, my job, my peace of mind and it led to the necessity that I leave the country where I had spent my entire life. For Mr carl Beech I have a feeling of icy contempt.’
OUTLANDISHLY REPELLENT LIES Lincoln Seligman, Sir Edward Heath’s godson
‘THE accusations of carl Beech have been allowed to fester for more than five years. Officers appeared to believe Beech when there was absolutely no corroborative evidence for his increasingly ludicrous allegations.’
‘He was recklessly encouraged and protected... by [the police] and some opportunist politicians who should be ashamed of themselves. Beech’s more outlandishly repellent accusations were plainly ridiculous but nevertheless they have been maliciously peddled around the world. This has done untold damage to Sir edward’s reputation, and given the power and longevity of the internet and twitter, it is unlikely the damage will ever be undone.’
PHYSICALLY SICK AND DISTRESSED Daniel Janner, QC, son of Greville Janner
‘READING these allegations made me feel physically sick and distressed. False allegations such as this stick like mud, they are vile, they leave a stain which is hard to remove.
‘They have turned our lives round. We have had to fight the injustice as a family of false allegations of Nick and others daily.
‘It is time consuming, it is an all-encompassing battle which is vital for the sake of our children, my grandchildren and justice generally.
‘Public figures are vulnerable to attack yet the effect of sexual false allegations is to wipe out their good name and work.
‘Beech maintained in this trial that my father raped him in the carlton club, it is impossible to describe the hurt that these allegations have had on a family like mine. They are corrosive.’