Heath inquiry ‘liar’ to be sole prosecution

THE only prosecution expected to arise from the £1.5 million investigation into Sir Edward Heath is of a fantasist accused of wasting police time.

A well-placed source told The Daily Telegraph that one person faces possible charges for making false allegations that Sir Edward was a paedophile. The disclosure will put further pressure on Mike Veale, Wiltshire Police’s chief constable, ahead of the publication of a summary report of its two-year inquiry into the former prime minister.

The investigation was launched after Wiltshire Police made an appeal for child sex abuse “victims” of Sir Edward outside his Salisbury home, Arundells. More than 40 people came forward as a result of the televised appeal but the vast majority of the claims have been dismissed, including several made by fantasists. The source said: “They are prosecuting somebody who they have shown to be peddling lies. It is likely to end with a caution.”

Lincoln Seligman, Sir Edward’s godson, said: “If the only crime Wiltshire Police can prove is wasting police time then it simply shows they have been wasting their own time on a ridiculous witch hunt.”

Lord Macdonald, the former director of public prosecutions, said such appeals had to be treated with “extreme caution” because they acted as a magnet to “charlatans and fantasists”.

Wiltshire Police confirmed the Operation Conifer closure report will be published on Oct 5. It said: “The operational security of the investigation and the anonymity of the people who have come forward remains of paramount importance to Wiltshire Police. It is for that reason that we strongly discourage any speculation concerning any investigation detail and/or outcome.”