Western Mail

Ex-charity care worker guilty of VIP abuse lies

- TOM WILKINSON and HENRY CLARE newsdesk@walesonlin­e.co.uk

Aformer NSPCC volunteer who lied about being abused by a murderous VIP Westminste­r paedophile ring is facing a lengthy jail sentence after he was convicted of perverting the course of justice and fraud.

Carl Beech’s malicious, repeated and determined deceit ruined the reputation­s of those he accused and led the Metropolit­an Police to raid the homes of 91-year-old Normandy veteran Field Marshall Lord Bramall, the late Lord Brittan and former Tory MP Harvey Proctor.

Mr Proctor called the episode

“a truly disgracefu­l chapter in the history of British policing”.

The force’s £2m Operation Midland into the lurid allegation­s ended without making a single arrest.

Beech, originally from Wrexham, claimed his late stepfather, an Army major, raped him, then passed him on to generals to be tortured at military bases and sadistical­ly sexually abused by other Establishm­ent figures in the 1970s and 1980s.

He named former prime minister Sir Edward Heath, Mr Proctor, disgraced TV star Jimmy Savile, head of MI5 Sir Michael Hanley and MI6 boss Sir Maurice Oldfield among the gang. He also claimed three boys were murdered by the ring.

A jury at Newcastle Crown Court rejected Beech’s allegation­s and yesterday convicted him of 12 counts of perverting the course of justice and one of fraud, relating to a £22,000 criminal injuries payout he falsely claimed for being raped by Savile.

Sentencing has provisiona­lly been set for Friday.

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> Carl Beech

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