Gambaccini warns BBC: I’m coming for you to expose truth about abuse ‘witch-hunt’
PAUL GAMBACCINI has said he is “coming for the BBC” after accusing the corporation of being complicit in a child abuse “witch-hunt”.
The Radio 2 DJ, who joined the BBC in 1974, accused the national broadcaster of being on the “side of wrongdoers”. Interviewed by Victoria Derbyshire about the possibility of Dame Cressida Dick being offered a two-year extension to her contract as Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Gambaccini said he and other victims of false accusations and Met misconduct, were determined to expose the BBC’S role.
He accused the corporation of giving “free rein” on the evening news to Carl Beech, the fantasist who falsely accused a string of VIPS of paedophilia. Beech was jailed for 18 years for perverting the course of justice and fraud and Scotland Yard was strongly criticised for a string of blunders during its Operation Midland inquiry into the allegations.
The role of the BBC was also questioned in a damning report by Sir Richard Henriques, as it had emerged that reporters had shown photographs of missing children to Beech.
Sir Richard said this had potentially damaged the investigation and contributed to the police wrongly concluding that Beech was credible.
In a bad-tempered exchange, Gambaccini said: “All throughout the witchhunt the BBC was on the side of the wrongdoers and this will come out by the way.
“Don’t think that we are going to go away. We haven’t come for the BBC yet because we are doing the Met now. But in the years to come, boy, the truth about the BBC’S complicity in the witchhunt will be known.”
Gambaccini, who spent a year on bail after being falsely accused of sex offences, also accused Fran Unsworth, the BBC’S head of news, of wrongdoing over the corporation’s coverage of a police raid on Sir Cliff Richard’s home.
In the Derbyshire interview, he said: “I will go head to head with Fran Unsworth in any public forum and I will dissect her like a frog – without ether.”
Derbyshire replied: “Thank you, I will pass your invitation on to her.”
Harvey Proctor, who lost his home and job after being falsely accused of abuse by Beech, also attacked the BBC’S role in respect of Operation Midland. He said: “The BBC have a guilty conscience on this because they were not innocent in promoting Carl Beech and allowing him to broadcast his lies.”
Gambaccini and Mr Proctor spoke out after they and other victims of Met incompetence had written to Boris Johnson demanding that Dame Cressida’s contract was not extended. It has emerged that she is likely to be offered another two years in the post.
Other signatories to the letter include Baroness Lawrence and Lady Brittan, the widow of the former Home Secretary Lord Brittan.
Explaining why they opposed the extension, Mr Gambaccini said: “We have all found that the leadership of the Metropolitan Police is breathtakingly corrupt. It covers up at all times. It is so shocking.