Defence Secretary: Bungling ‘Nick’ cops must be investigated

...and put IRA killers in the dock

POLiCe should face a fresh investigation over the bungled inquiry into claims by fantasist ‘Nick’, the Defence secretary said yesterday.

ben Wallace said officers who lied should be ‘investigated properly’ as he condemned the case.

in an excoriating attack on the police, Mr Wallace said former Armed Forces chief Field Marshal Lord bramall had his reputation ‘trashed’ by bogus sex abuse claims made by Nick, real name Carl beech.

Asked by the Mail if police officers should be held to account over the pursuit of false accusations, he said: ‘Absolutely. if people have either lied or broken the law, of course they should be investigated properly. if there’s no satisfaction with the independent police investigation that happened then of course they should.’

After beech was jailed for 18 years last month for perverting the course of justice, fraud and other offences, former High Court judge sir richard Henriques said police searches broke the law in the bungled probe into the fantasist.

However, police watchdogs cleared officers over allegations they misled a judge into granting search warrants to carry out raids on the homes of Lord bramall, Lord brittan and former Tory MP Harvey Procthe tor. in an extraordinary intervention, which piles pressure on Home secretary Priti Patel to launch a new inquiry into scotland Yard’s bungled Operation Midland investigation, Mr Wallace also raised concerns about the way veterans were being investigated over their actions on the battlefield. speaking about the legal witchhunt into british troops, he said there was a wider issue about police investigations.

He added: ‘We’ve just seen the whole Nick fantasist issue and how people are held without any clarity about their reputation. Lord bramall’s whole reputation was trashed over an investigation without any clarity.’

As Mr Wallace spoke out, the head of britain’s version of the Fbi was facing questions over the decision to appoint the controversial police chief who led Operation Midland as her deputy. Critics say the promotion of former Met Deputy Assistant Commissioner steve rodhouse to head of operations at the National Crime Agency (NCA) is a ‘reward for failure’.

Despite a series of headlinemaking blunders in his career, Mr rodhouse is now joint No2 at the NCA under director-general Lynne Owens. before landing his £175,000-a-year post at the elite organisation, he worked under Mrs Owens at scotland Yard and surrey Police. While at Met, he was lambasted over his role in charge of Operation Midland, and faced intense criticism over his handling of a bogus rape allegation against former Home secretary Leon brittan.

Lord brittan died before he was formally cleared.

before joining the Met, Mr rodhouse also oversaw a heavily criticised surrey Police inquiry into Jimmy savile.

Daniel Janner QC – whose Labour peer father Lord Janner was falsely accused of abuse by beech – said: ‘Given rodhouse’s track record of astonishing failure, the public will be astounded that he has been promoted.’

The NCA declined to say if Mrs Owens sat on the selection board. Mr rodhouse has refused to answer any questions from the Daily Mail.

‘Whole reputation was trashed’