‘Nick’ charged over false VIP sex claims
Accuser profited with £22,000 payout and allegedly invented witness called ‘Fred’ to back him up
THE MAN known as “Nick”, whose allegations led to the VIP sex abuse scandal, was last night charged with inventing the accusations and then fraudulently claiming £22,000 in compensation.
The 50-year-old – whose identity can still not be revealed for legal reasons – will appear in court in September, after the Crown Prosecution Service charged him with 12 counts of perverting the course of justice and one count of fraud.
Prosecutors also allege that “Nick” created a fake witness called “Fred” and sent emails to police from a false account in an attempt to corroborate his claims.
“Nick” had told detectives he had been raped and abused in the Seventies and Eighties by several powerful men, including Sir Edward Heath, the former prime minister; Lord Bramall, the former head of the Army; Lord Brittan, the former home secretary; Harvey Proctor, the former Tory MP; and Lord Janner, the former Labour MP.
He even claimed that some members of the group had murdered three boys during sex games.
But despite Scotland Yard – which described the allegations as credible and true – undertaking an 18-month, £2.5million investigation with 31 full- time detectives, no evidence to support any of the claims was ever found.
Last night Mr Proctor said: “The decision of the CPS to prosecute ‘Nick’ for perverting the course of justice and fraud is to be welcomed. Justice must now be allowed to take its course. I hope there will be no unnecessary delays in arranging the trial. The torture that was and is Operation Midland should end as soon as is possible.”
The decision to charge “Nick” will heap further embarrassment on the former Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Lord Hogan-howe, who was heavily criticised for his handling of Operation Midland. The former Scotland Yard chief was forced to apologise to those who had been placed under investigation and the Met later paid £100,000 in compensation to Lord Bramall and Lady Brittan.
A report into the investigation by a retired High Court judge, Sir Richard Henriques, identified 43 mistakes by the Metropolitan Police, including having misled the chief magistrate when applying for search warrants.
Northumbria Police was then asked to investigate “Nick” on suspicion of perverting the course of justice and fraud. Following a 10-month investigation, a file of evidence was passed to prosecutors last September and charges were outlined yesterday.
The charges claim that “Nick” sought to back up his story by setting up an encrypted email account and allegedly inventing a witness called “Fred” to corroborate his claims.
He is also accused of handing the police a penknife and two military epaulettes, claiming he had kept them from the time of the abuse. “Nick” allegedly took detectives on tours of properties around London where he said the abuse had taken place. Among the public figures he claimed had abused him was Jimmy Savile.
In 2013, “Nick” made a successful claim to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority for the sexual abuse he said he had suffered and was awarded £22,000.
The allegations he made to police caused untold damage to the reputations of the public figures who were accused. Lord Brittan died before his name had been cleared. Lord Bramall’s wife died with the cloud of suspicion still hanging over her husband’s head. Mr Proctor was forced to leave his job as private secretary to the Duke of Rutland and lost his grace and favour flat.
Frank Ferguson, head of special crime at the CPS, said “Nick” would appear before Westminster magistrates on Sept 5.
‘The decision to prosecute ‘Nick’ is to be welcomed. Justice must now be allowed to take its course’