PUT FANTASISTS IN DOCK
Police urged to act against false accusers whose claims blighted lives of innocent
SCOTLAND Yard was under mounting pressure last night to put historic VIP child abuse ‘fantasists’ in the dock.
The force was told to urgently examine whether some of the leading voices behind the ‘scandal’ were guilty of breaking the law.
Senior officers also faced calls to consider whether they could be guilty of perverting the course of justice or wasting police time.
The barrage of outrage was led by Lord Bramall, who said ‘Nick’ – the man responsible for vile claims against him – should now face justice himself.
All charges against the war hero and former Army chief were dropped last Friday as police said there was insufficient evidence to proceed. His demand for justice was backed by figures from across the political spectrum, who said investigators should examine the claims of several ‘victims’ and Exaro, the controversial online news agency which gave them a platform.
Last night the D-Day hero was also weighing up whether to sue Scotland Yard over the flawed year-long child-sex inquiry.
The 92-year-old, a veteran of the Normandy landings, endured the indignity of his home being raided at dawn on March 4 last year by 20 police officers on the basis of a single complaint by a witness known only as ‘Nick’.
At the time, Avril, his wife of 66 years, was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. She died last summer without knowing her war veteran husband had been cleared.
Lord Bramall said he had been ‘through hell’ since being confronted with claims that he had raped and molested ‘Nick’ between 1976 and 1984 at a military base in the West Country.
Speaking to a Sunday newspaper, Lord Bramall described the strain of being embroiled in a ‘sinister witch-hunt’ following ‘bizarre and grotesque’ allegations that he tortured and sexually abused young boys. ‘I think he (his accuser) should be [prosecuted],’ he said. ‘My lawyer says the complainant ought to be prosecuted for wasting police time but it is not for me to say what the police should do.
‘It was all based on wild statements by “Nick” which were so bizarre and outrageous and grotesque, any normal policeman would have realised they were complete fantasy. For a 91-year-old man with a dying wife, it hasn’t been easy for me and for the family.
‘My wife had Alzheimer’s and when the police came she was downstairs. She kept on saying what are all these people doing and I couldn’t explain it. She was very distressed. Given my distinguished career, to have 20 policemen come through your house for ten hours, it was a bit rough.’
Lord Bramall said: ‘The police say they didn’t leak it but they kept on talking about it. When they searched the house they had 20 police for ten hours in the middle of the village and the police had lunch in the pub five minutes away. If that is not making sure the public knows about it, I don’t know what is.’
He added: ‘The police have rather grudgingly said they are not pursuing the case. Well, we all knew that they couldn’t, because there was nothing to pursue. I was hoping for rather more than that. But I’m going see my lawyer on Monday and talk about whether we’ll go back to the police and say: “Can’t you do a bit better than that?”’
The Met responded to the criticism by saying it fears future victims could be put off by media scrutiny and their needs must come first.
The raids were first publicised by Exaro, an obscure website with close links to the increasingly discredited ‘Nick’.
Last night, former Tory MP Harvey Proctor, 69, who remains under investigation based on his claims, said ‘abuse fantasists’ should be charged with criminal offences. He said: ‘If “Nick” is not mentally ill – and I assume the Metropolitan Police has examined this issue – then he should stand trial for perverting the course of justice and wasting police time.
‘At the very least, he should be investigated for these offences. The Met’s continued investigation of me reeks of vengeance in the light of my public statement on the case last August.’
BBC Radio 2 DJ Paul Gambaccini, who spent 12 months on police bail over false sex allegations before being cleared, agreed. He said: ‘In the dozens of false accusations made against famous people during the witch-hunt, no one has been charged with wasting police time, squandering millions of pounds of taxpayer money, or tormenting innocent individuals.
‘This is because, by law, the British police and Crown Prosecution Service cosset and protect their false accusers, without whom they could not conduct a witch-hunt.
‘False accusers should be prosecuted or, if appropriate, offered medical assistance.’
Tory grandee David Mellor said the allegations by “Nick” were an ‘insult to our intelligence’. He added: ‘“Nick” is a serial fantasist yet has remained anonymous, but a war hero’s name, Lord Bramall, has been made public. “Nick” should be exposed and prosecuted for wasting police time.’
Tory MP Colonel Bob Stewart added: ‘Why can’t they bring charges against the man making these claims? When you make an accusation against someone like Edwin Bramall and it doesn’t stand up, you should face the consequences.’
Lord Macdonald, a former Director of Public Prosecutions, said: ‘If someone deliberately and maliciously makes a false complaint against another person, that could certainly amount to a criminal offence.’
‘My wife was very distressed’