Fantasist ‘Nick’ bids to overturn conviction
THE VIP child sex abuse fantasist known as ‘ Nick’ is appealing against his conviction for lying about the existence of an Establishment paedophile ring, it emerged yesterday.
Carl Beech, 51, has lodged papers with the Court of Appeal applying for permission to try to overturn the unanimous guilty verdicts handed down following a lengthy trial this summer.
The convicted paedophile – described by trial judge Mr Justice Goss as a ‘resourceful, manipulative and devious person’ – is also appealing against the length of his 18-year prison sentence.
Beech was convicted of 12 counts of perverting the course of justice and one count of fraud after claiming that prominent public figures including former Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath, former head of the Army Lord Bramall and former Tory MP Harvey Proctor were members of a murderous paedophile ring.
His fantastical allegations spurred the Metropolitan Police into launching its disastrous Operation Midland investigation, which closed without a single arrest.
He was also sentenced for sex offences relating to indecent images of children found on a laptop and voyeurism. Prosecutors said that while ruining the lives and legacies of prominent individuals with his wild allegations, Beech was a ‘committed and manipulative paedophile’.
Yesterday the Court of Appeal Criminal Division confirmed he had applied for permission to appeal. Defendants wishing to appeal against a conviction must apply for permission within 28 days of the judgement. Beech’s application was lodged exactly 28 days after he was convicted at Newcastle Crown Court, following a ten-week trial.
He was sentenced four days later – handed 15 years for the perverting the course of justice offences.
A judge will now be instructed to assess Beech’s application in private and decide whether to grant permission for a public Court of Appeal hearing. The initial application process alone can take up to five months.
Sir Edward’s godson Lincoln Seligman said: ‘After a pointless ten-week trial, where he enjoyed the opportunity to trot out his full quota of lies, a period of silence on Mr Beech’s part would be welcome. His victims, their families and the public have heard more than enough from him.’
Among other wild tales, Beech – who fled the country to a remote area of Sweden while on bail – said the former head of MI5 kidnapped his dog, and the gang flew him to Paris on a private Boeing 747 jet to be abused.
Sentencing Beech, Mr Justice Goss said he ‘repeatedly and maliciously told lies to the police’, accusing ‘living persons of the highest integrity and decency of vile acts’.
As a result of Beech’s fantasies, the homes of Lord Bramall, Mr Proctor and former home secretary Leon Brittan were raided by the Metropolitan Police. Key officers have since been accused of acting unlawfully in obtaining the search warrants.
Retired High Court judge Sir Richard Henriques, who wrote a highlycritical report into Operation Midland, told the Daily Mail that the ‘course of justice was perverted with shocking consequences’.
‘Persons of the highest integrity