‘WITCH-HUNT DENIED PEER THE DIGNIFIED DEATH HE DESERVED’

THE lies of Carl Beech meant that former Conservative MP Lord

Brittan was “denied the dignified death that he deserved”, his widow has said.

In a statement that was read during the sentencing of the 51-year-old fantasist yesterday, Diana Brittan said her husband had to deal with terminal illness while facing “a series of false allegations and smears of the very worst kind”.

Lord Brittan was one of many to be falsely accused by Beech of being part of a murderous Westminster VIP paedophile ring.

During a sentencing hearing resulting from a jury convicting him of lying to police about his claims, the divorced father-of-one watched on as prosecutor Tony Badenoch QC read the widow’s victim-impact statement.

It read: “I feel he was caught up in a totally unjustified witch-hunt which took its toll on both him and me.

“He was denied the dignified death that he deserved.

“His name has now been cleared but he will never know this.”

The Metropolitan Police’s Operation Midland investigation into Beech’s lies has attracted widespread attention, especially following a senior detective’s remarks that the claims were “credible and true”.

Lord Brittan’s wife said: “The system has let him and my family down.”

Meanwhile, Field Marshal Lord Bramall, a D-Day veteran, said: “I was never as badly wounded in all my time in the military as I was by the allegations made by ‘Nick’.”

The statement was written months prior to the start of the trial as the 95-year-old – who was 91 at the time when Beech made allegations against him – feared he would not live to see the proceedings.

It was read in court by his solicitor Drew Pettifer, and described the horror of having his home searched by officers as his seriously ill wife lay in bed, as well as the pain of seeing her die without his name being cleared.

Another to be falsely accused by Beech was former prime minister Sir Edward Heath, and a statement from his godson, Lincoln Seligman, was also read in court.

It said that the late Conservative MP “was always as he remains wholly and categorically innocent of these depraved and wicked accusations”.

He said the “plainly ridiculous” allegations against his godfather “cast a dreadful stain on this country”.

Mr Seligman also condemned the Metropolitan Police and politicians who “should be ashamed of themselves” for giving credence to Beech’s accusations.

He said: “It is unlikely this damage will ever be undone.”

Lord Janner, a late Labour MP, was another to be accused by Beech.

His son, Daniel Janner QC, appeared in the witness stand during the sentencing yesterday to say: “It is impossible to get over the hurt which such ghastly alleged acts of violence have on a lawabiding family like mine.

“They are corrosive. They lie on the internet with ignorant people saying that there is no smoke without fire.”