‘Nick’ police searches broke law says judge
POLICE broke the law in the bungled probe into VIP child abuse fantasist Nick, a former High Court judge says today.
Sir Richard Henriques said officers used false evidence to obtain search warrants to raid the homes of retired Armed Forces chief Lord Bramall, the widow of exHome Secretary Lord Brittan and ex-Tory MP Harvey Proctor, and should now face a criminal investigation.
In an astonishing intervention, he tells the Daily Mail that Scotland Yard detectives did not have the right to search the properties because their description of Nick – real name Carl Beech – as a ‘consistent’ witness was false, effectively fooling a judge into granting the warrants.
He also alleges the ‘course of justice was perverted with shocking consequences’ and says he finds it astonishing that no officer has been brought to book over the fiasco. He says a ‘criminal investigation should surely follow’.
Last week it was confirmed that not one officer would face misconduct proceedings over the case, following a watchdog investigation
branded a ‘whitewash’ by critics. In 2016 Sir Richard wrote a scathing report for Scotland Yard about its £2.5million investigation into Beech’s allegations. His report, which identified 43 blunders, was heavily redacted and has never been fully made public.
But his 1,200-word statement in today’s Mail will pile pressure on ex-Metropolitan Police chief Sir Bernard, now Lord Hogan-Howe, and the officer who led Operation Midland, ex-deputy assistant commissioner Steve Rodhouse, who has been promoted to one of the top jobs in British policing. In other bombshell claims, Sir Richard:
▪ Says the Metropolitan Police has ‘sought to protect itself from effective outside scrutiny’ over Operation Midland;
▪ Alleges that during his hard-hitting 2016 investigation, the Met did not give him ‘all relevant documentation’; and
▪ Attacks police watchdogs for clearing two senior officers of misconduct without interviewing them.
Sir Richard’s broadside at the Met and police watchdogs comes days after vicar’s son Beech, 51, was jailed for 18 years for telling a string of lies about alleged VIP child sex abuse and serial murder.
At his ten-week trial, jurors heard the fantasist told officers that he was used as a human dartboard by the former heads of MI5 and MI6, that his dog was kidnapped by a spy chief, and that the paedophile ring shot dead his horse.
The court also heard Beech is now a convicted paedophile after child porn offences came to light when an independent police force, at Sir Richard’s behest, started investigating him on suspicion of making false claims about a murderous Establishment paedophile ring.
In the wake of his convictions last week, Scotland Yard chiefs faced intense criticism over its staggering incompetence and 16-month investigation launched on the word of a pathological liar.
But shortly after he was found guilty last Monday, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) announced three officers accused of misconduct over search warrant applications had been cleared.
The IOPC said the officers, led by senior investigating officer detective chief inspector Diane Tudway, acted ‘with due diligence and in good faith at the time’.
But Sir Richard tells the Mail the finding is ‘in conflict’ with his review of Operation Midland in 2016.
He maintains ‘the opinion that the three search warrants authorising the searches of the homes of Lord Bramall, Lady Brittan and Harvey Proctor were obtained unlawfully’ from a district judge.
This is because, he says, Beech’s allegations had changed since he first contacted police in 2012 and were not ‘consistent’.
He continued: ‘I remain unable to conclude that every officer acted with due diligence and in good faith. When the applications were made officers leading the investigation were fully aware of six matters in particular which undermined Beech’s credibility.’
In another damning revelation, Sir Richard said that during his review for the Met, he was not – as promised at the outset – given ‘all relevant documentation’.
He said Mrs Tudway – who was promoted to superintendent while under investigation for alleged misconduct and retired just before Beech’s trial – was aware of several matters which undermined Beech’s credibility and ‘knew full well that they had not been brought to the attention of the district judge’. He added: ‘Knowingly misleading a district judge is far more serious than mere misconduct. The IOPC should in my judgment have investigated whether a criminal act had been committed.’
He also lambasted the watchdog for offering no explanation as to why two senior Operation Midland officers – Rodhouse and ex-detective superintendent Kenny McDonald, who called Beech ‘credible and true’ at the start of the inquiry in 2014 – were exonerated without being interviewed by watchdogs.
‘Through the device of deploying an officer with an incomplete knowledge of the investigation to sign the applications and to make the applications, the Metropolitan Police has sought to protect itself from effective outside scrutiny,’ he concluded.
Last week Met Deputy Commissioner Sir Stephen House said he believed all five officers probed by police watchdogs over Operation Midland ‘worked in good faith’.
They cooperated fully with both the Henriques’ Review and the Independent Office for Police Conduct investigations, he added.
‘Met sought to protect itself’
BORIS Johnson’s first visit to Scotland as Prime Minister was never going to be the easiest of trips.
He faced battle on two fronts: a clash with Ruth Davidson over No Deal – and another with Nicola Sturgeon over independence.
For now, he and his Scottish leader have been able to find common ground in their commitment to thrashing out a new Brexit deal. Their dispute over Mr Johnson’s willingness to pursue No Deal – bitterly opposed by Miss Davidson – remains unresolved. But yesterday’s meeting showed signs of consensus in a relationship that – given time – may yet grow into a positive partnership.
At Bute House, a small group of protesters were ready to greet Mr Johnson – but some supporters were also present.
The Prime Minister told Miss Sturgeon that his backing for the UK remained unwavering and that continuing preparation for No Deal was vital.
Miss Sturgeon, whose stony face as she shook hands with Mr Johnson told its own story, could only provide her usual kneejerk response – repeating her threat to hold another independence referendum.
But it is not in her gift to launch another poll – and Mr Johnson deserves credit for continuing his predecessor’s firm stance against Indyref 2, only five years after Scotland voted No.
These are, of course, early days for the Johnson premiership, but his promise that Scotland will receive a share of a £300million ‘growth fund’ to boost the economy is an excellent start.
Many Unionists will require further evidence that the new administration’s hard line on a No Deal Brexit will not fuel the Nationalist cause.
But at the very least they can be reassured that, when it comes to the Union, Mr Johnson is no pushover – while Miss Sturgeon can only offer more of the same tired and divisive rhetoric.