Ex-head of Army faced paedophile accusations days after his wife died
SCOTLAND YARD detectives subjected the former head of the British Army to a humiliating interrogation in which he was accused of raping a child, just days after his wife of 64 years had died, it emerged yesterday.
Field Marshal Lord Bramall, who was 91 at the time, but is now 95, was questioned twice by police in connection with allegations that he was part of a VIP paedophile ring that had abused, tortured and even murdered boys in the 1970s and 1980s.
The claims were made by Carl Beech, who had the pseudonym Nick, and whose allegations led to the Metropolitan Police’s £2million Operation Midland investigation.
Mr Beech, a former nurse and father of one, was subsequently accused of making up the claims and was charged with 12 charges of perverting the course of justice and one of fraud. At his trial at Newcastle Crown Court yesterday, the jury was shown a video of the police interviews with Lord Bramall.
One interview, in which he was accused of appalling abuse, took place on July 31 2015, just nine days after his wife, Dorothy, had died following a long battle with dementia.
During the exchange, Lord Bramall pleaded with the police to clear his name swiftly.
He told them: “Please report to your superiors and say there is no evidence, there is no case to answer. Make it clear I am no longer a suspect, no longer under investigation.
“Otherwise my reputation is still being damaged on Google and that is not fair after my record and at my time of life. I ask you to clear this matter up and take me out of this investigation as soon as you possibly can. It is a very painful experience to have to go through at my age of 91 and having now just lost my wife.”
On another occasion he was seen hitting the desk in frustration as he answered questions put to him by detectives.
During his police interview, he demanded to know what corroboration there had been of Mr Beech’s claims to justify the raid.
He told the officers: “This thing is so preposterous, it is so very difficult to understand how it could possibly have been made up other then by someone who specialises in sci-fi fictions.”
At one point he was asked whether he could swim, after claims that he had abused youngsters at pool parties. He replied: “Can I swim? Yes I can swim. I had to swim. I landed at Normandy and I jolly nearly had to swim.”
Lord Bramall went on: “I am absolutely astonished, amazed and aghast. Not only do I absolutely deny all of these things but I find it quite incredible that anyone would believe someone of my career, standing and integrity would be capable of these things, including torture of children. It is unbelievable.”
Mr Beech, 51, denies 12 charges of perverting justice and one of fraud by falsely claiming £22,000 criminal injuries compensation.
The trial continues.
‘Can I swim? Yes I can swim. I had to swim. I landed at Normandy and jolly nearly had to swim’