Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson to face calls to quit as judge’s report exposing his backing of VIP paedophile fantasist ‘Nick’ is set to be published
- Carl Beech, known as ‘Nick’, made appalling claims of abuse against top figures
- A £2.5million police probe into his bogus allegations ended up finding nothing
- Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson is accused of whipping up the claims
- He’ll face calls to stand down when a full report into the scandal is published
Tom Watson is facing mounting pressure to resign as a report into police blunders regarding the VIP Westminster paedophile ring is set to be published in the next fortnight.
The report will examine the investigation into allegations made by 51-year-old Carl Beech, known as ‘Nick’, which triggered a wasted £2.5million Scotland Yard probe.
Last month, Beech was found guilty of fabricating claims of child abuse, murder and rape by high profile officials including former head of the army Lord Bramall and former Tory MP Harvey Proctor.
Mr Watson was accused of giving credence to the claims of Beech, who once told police that the now Labour deputy leader was part of a ‘little group supporting me’.
Tom Watson is to face fresh calls to stand down as the full report on the case a Carl Beech, a fantasist who made claims about abuse by a so-called VIP paedophile ring, is published
Written by retired High Court judge Sir Richard Henriques, the 150-page report will suggest that the police were influenced by Mr Watson’s pursuit of Beech’s confession, the Daily Telegraph reported.
Mr Watson admitted in a BBC interview that he had met with Beech to ‘reassure him’ that the Metropolitan Police would take his allegations seriously. He also remained in contact with Beech through email.
As a result of Beech’s fantasies, the homes of Lord Bramall, Mr Proctor and former home secretary Leon Brittan were raided by the Metropolitan Police. Key officers have since been accused of acting unlawfully in obtaining the search warrants.
Carl Beech invented appalling claims against former ministers, MPs and public figures
Lord Bramall’s son, Nicholas Bramall, demanded an apology from Mr Watson for the distress he caused.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4, he said: ‘He certainly added fuel to the flames of this whole business. I think any apology would be the right thing to do.’
Following the publication of the report, Beech’s victims are expected to call for Mr Watson to resign from his position.
A second report written by Sir Richard looks at the separate case of a woman known as ‘Jane’ who alleged Lord Brittan raped her in the 1960s.
Police concluded there was insufficient evidence and found inconsistencies in her account.
But Mr Watson nonetheless wrote to the director of public prosecutions to inquire why the case was dropped.
The case was then reopened and Lord Brittan questioned under caution in June 2014 – just seven months before he died without ever being told he would not face charges.
It is unclear whether this second part of the report will be published to the public.
Mr Watson has always strongly denied he was part of a ‘support group’ for Beech and claims his role had no influence on the overall investigation into Beech’s claims.
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