Thorpe lover to complain over force’s blunders
JEREMY THORPE’S former lover, Norman Scott, has said he will complain to the police watchdog after it emerged that detectives had bungled the most recent investigation into the scandal.
Two years ago Gwent Police shelved a review into the 1979 alleged murder plot, after wrongly declaring that Andrew Newton, one of the key conspirators, had died. When it emerged at the weekend that Newton was alive, the force sent a detective to Surrey speak to him.
It can now also be revealed that despite carrying out a two-year inquiry into the scandal, Gwent Police only interviewed eight people.
Last night Mr Scott, 78, speaking from his home on the edge of Dartmoor, said he was considering lodging a formal complaint with the Independent Office for Police Conduct over the way the matter had been handled. When asked if he would be taking it further, he confirmed: “I am well aware of what I need to do.”
Interest in the Thorpe saga has been reignited by A Very English Scandal, the BBC drama starring Hugh Grant as the Liberal leader, who was forced to resign in 1976 over his affair with Scott.
Thorpe was accused of hiring a hitman to kill Scott, but was acquitted in 1979. Allegations of police corruption and an establishment cover-up persisted, and in 2014 – after Thorpe’s death – Gwent Police was asked to review the original inquiry. Operation Vellum was shelved in 2016 after it was concluded Mr Newton was dead.
A spokesman for Gwent Police said yesterday: “Having confirmed his status and whereabouts, officers from Gwent Police spoke to Mr Redwin who is unable to provide any additional evidence to that which has already been obtained in the original inquiry.
“As Mr Redwin’s evidence has already been considered by the CPS prior to this matter being closed, Gwent Police is satisfied that there is no basis to re-refer the matter to the CPS and the investigation remains closed.”