Harvey Proctor Tells LBC Why He Wants Police Officers To Face Criminal Investigation

4 November 2019, 20:58

The former Tory MP tells Iain Dale why he wants the five police officers to face a criminal investigation after he was falsely accused of being part of a Westminster paedophile ring.

"I waited for other people to take up the position of the judge, who had granted the search warrants for my house, and the houses of Lord Bramall and Lady Britain, when he said at the beginning of October that the police had made unlawful declarations before him to obtain the search warrants. They were illegal."

"I waited for someone to say there will be a police investigation of those officers. There has not been therefore 10 days ago or so I went to Northumbria police and reported the five officers."

Proctor told Iain that the Northumbria police passed his complaint of crime onto the Metropolitan Police who are "considering what to do about it" and he still hasn't received a crime reference number.

He continued that he's not been alone in being critical of the Metropolitan Police, with Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace also calling for action.

Priti Patel suggested to Proctor that he could appeal the IOPC (Independent Office for Police Conduct) report, however he told Iain he didn't think the report was fit for purpose. A further suggestion of the Home Secretary is to conduct a judicial review which Proctor said "is incredibly expensive, even if I had not lost my job as a result of the police action against me."

Harvey Proctor accused Cressida Dick of not being in control of the details
Harvey Proctor accused Cressida Dick of not being in control of the details. Picture: PA

The former MP said the most sensible route for him is to "report these police officers for allegedly committing crime. I do say allegedly because unlike them, I am not saying that they are guilty until there's been an investigation - a courtesy that they didn't apply to me."

Police Commissioner Cressida Dick admits that she should have done something about the allegations against Proctor, Iain pointed out.

Proctor replied that these are admissions prised out of Cressida Dick and she had initiated Operation Midland, which she hadn't admitted during her two years in post. He accused her of not being in control of the details.

He continued that he hopes his lawyers can finally settle the compensation at the end of the month as it has gone on "far too long."

Iain asked him about the apology he received from the BBC after he took exception to Naga Munchetty's line of questioning.

Proctor said he didn't question Munchetty's professionalism but detailed some incorrect facts she had come up with "on the spur of the moment", however he did accept the BBC's apology.