Sex offender on queen’s barge
A royal guest ... despite 17 attacks on women
ASEX offender was a guest of the queen on the royal barge Spirit of Chartwell during her diamond jubilee pageant on the River Thames, it was revealed today.
He was given VIP treatment and mingled with the royal family.
Harbinder Singh Rana, 52, was jailed in the 1980s for a series of attacks on women, who believed he was a doctor, in which he performed internal examinations and administered injections. Rana served four years for his crimes, but has since reinvented himself as a pillar of the community.
During Sunday’s afternoon sail, the Sikh charity director came into contact with senior royals including Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Camilla, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince Harry.
Rana was found guilty of five counts of indecent assault, 11 counts of assault causing actual bodily harm and one count of attempted assault in August 1986.
The former management consultant was invited to join the celebrations by Prince Charles in his capacity as community leader.
He is understood to have met the prince through his charity work for the Anglo-Sikh heritage trail, a group that promotes Sikh culture in Britain.
But palace sources last night said the prince was unaware of the charity director’s shameful past and would never have invited him had he known.
Approached yesterday, Rana said he did not know if he had been vetted before the event.
Rana told the Mirror: “I was given the invitation and I attended.
“The fact that the Prince of Wales invited me clearly shows what I have done for the community since then.”
He added: “I have a relationship with some of Charles’s staff, not him – although I have met him at events, yes. I have made it clear I wasn’t representing the Sikh community, I was there because I was very happy to be invited.”
He said he never spoke to the queen or any senior member of the royal family while on the boat.
The revelation will raise questions about why apparently no checks were carried out on Rana’s background before he was allowed near senior royals.
The error brings into focus the vetting procedures in place to protect the royal family.
An investigation into how such an unsuitable guest sailed through the vetting process will probably soon be under way.
A spokesman for Clarence House confirmed that the prince had not known about Rana’s convictions. She said: “Harbinder Singh was asked to take part in the pageant as he is a leading member of the Sikh community and someone who has done a lot of charitable work.
“Guests of the pageant including representatives from all major faith communities spread across a number of key vessels – as with the royal family, who were present on a number of vessels.”
Last night the metropolitan police confirmed that those travelling on the royal barge would have been security vetted. A spokesman said: “The purpose of a security check is to assess the threat to members of the royal family and other protected persons.”
At his trial Rana protested his innocence and yesterday continued to say it was a case of “mistaken identity”.
Rana’s previous convictions have caused controversy in the past. In 2002, the Sikh Secretariat, a campaigning group, said it was “appalled” at Rana’s role as a government adviser.
Rana represented Sikhs on the Inner Cities Religious Council, a group that advised the government on local issues.
Speaking about his place in the body, the Sikh Secretariat said: “We are aware government officials and junior ministers have known about the situation, but have taken no action. Out of a choice of 700 000 Sikhs we cannot understand why someone like this was elected to represent our views.”
Rana defended himself, saying: “I have never tried to hide my convictions, even though the evidence presented was contentious. Are they saying rehabilitation and forgiveness should not exist? What I should be judged on is the work I’ve done in the Sikh community since that date.”– Daily Mail