Harvey Proctor secures £900,000 payout from Met over VIP paedophile claims

29 November 2019, 08:03

The former Conservative politician, whose home was raided following claims made by fantasist Carl Beech
The former Conservative politician, whose home was raided following claims made by fantasist Carl Beech. Picture: PA
EJ Ward

By EJ Ward

A former Tory politician is set to receive a total of £900,000 from Scotland Yard after its investigation into false claims of a VIP paedophile ring.

Almost £400,000 the former Conservative MP will receive from the Metropolitan Police will go towards his legal bills, with a further £500,000 in compensation.

The Met confirmed a settlement was reached late on Thursday evening.

The former Tory MP was falsely accused of being a killer by a fantasist known as ‘Nick’, who claimed he and others were raped and tortured in the 70s and 80 by members of a high profile paedophile ring.

Scotland Yard launched an investigation, codenamed Operation Midland after the claims were made by Carl Beech.

Operation Midland, which began in 2014, saw dawn raids on the homes of 72-year-old Mr Proctor, and the late D-day veteran Lord Bramall and Lord (Leon) Brittan, following a series of allegations that turned out to be lies.

Beech is now serving an 18-year prison sentence for 12 counts of perverting the course of justice and one count of fraud.

An independent review of Operation Midland saw former High Court judge Richard Henriques heavily criticise Scotland Yard.

He reprimanded the force for believing Beech for too long, detective superintendent Kenny McDonald for announcing publicly that Beech's claims were "credible and true", and officers for applying for search warrants with flawed information and for failing to close the investigation sooner.

Earlier this month, Mr Proctor announced he had reported five former Met officers to Northumbria Police in a bid to spark a fresh inquiry into the investigation.

Northumbria Police has referred the matters back to Scotland Yard.

A spokesman for the force said it was "assessing the complaint".

The Independent Office for Police Conduct found no evidence of misconduct or criminality by the officers during Operation Midland.

Speaking on LBC, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “I think what happened to Lord Bramall was appalling and I feel very sad… and indeed for Leon Brittan and for others.”

Asked if the police should face prosecution, Mr Johnson added: “That’s a difficult question Nick, whether or not the police should face prosecution.

“I haven’t studied the evidence with sufficient detail.”

He continued: “It’s clear that misjudgments were made and I know that you’ve had the Commissioner on, several times to talk about this.

“If it is possible to have legal redress then obviously that should be sought.”