Westminster peaodophile ring, Nick, guilty of perverting course of justice and fraud

I now tend to think that in cases like this, the accuser should be name from the outset. After all the accused is named and as we have seen here, those who are totally innocent end up with their lives ruined.

That would certainly help to weed out a lot of those vile individuals who make up these lies.

I believe Cliff Richard is campaigning for this.

Of course it’s not annie - who would believe it were?

Protecting both is not a competition

I agree maddy that as a rule names should not be released until suspects have been charged unless it is necessary ( a judge could decide this).

No one would disagree with that annie I’m sure. It’s quite possible to do both - it’s not ( or shouldn’t be) a competition.

Whilst we need to be concerned that victims of abuse will not come forward we need to think of the innocent accused, they and their families are victims too.

Inquiries

It should be inquiries, I always feel confused about which it should be, but on this occasion it should read,

‘A man is helping police with their inquiries.’

Does anyone else remember the days when police didn’t release the names of suspects until they were charged? They used to give out the information,

‘A man is helping police with their enquiries.’

It is high time the police went back to this in my opinion, suspect’s names should not be released to the public until they’re charged, and whilst dead people can’t be charged, their names should not be released without proper investigations.

Never believed it. Amazed how he was given so much credence. The story he told of his friend from school had died could so easily have been investigated. Or investigated properly. The school said that nobody of this boy's name had been in the school. But why did they not look for this child's death certificate? Public records. Anyone can apply for anyone's. So why, if they looked and found nothing, did they not stop it there? Or if they didn't look, why on earth not? So sad for all these people, so many elderly. Dreadful, the whole thing was just appalling. And as for these main police, all resigning the day before the trial. Well of course. They will keep their pensions and all's well for them.

Thank goodness that Northumbria police did their job properly .

Iam64, so we both were extremely sceptical when we heard these claims. What surprises me is that apparently no proper investigation was taken before all this was in the public arena, it is truly disgraceful that these men’s reputations were allowed to be shattered in this way with not only no proof, but also it appears, no investigative work done at all. It reminds me of the Cliff Richards case.

Whilst child abuse allegations always need to be investigated properly, it it simply abhorrent to me that innocent people can have their reputations shattered in this way.

I have just, with jaw on the floor, read detailed background about him. Years of service as a school governor, the buying of the Swedish cabin and plans to open a B and B business.. So many people over the years completely taken in by him - to me ( a complete lay person in such matters) it does make him sound like a fantasist - he was good at getting other people to believe in him because he actually believed it all himself.

Writing in the DM , Richard Littlejohn has dubbed Tom Watson “Nonce Finder General” .

To add, one issue may be the way the police is a blue light organisation. Other agencies are more likely to search records, phone GP's, schools etc and consult with specialist psychiatrists or psychologists. Surely if those things had happened, this investigation would have been delayed, then stopped before it took on a life of its own.

Beckett, agree with your post. Basic checks weren't undertaken that would have red flagged this man as a potential fantasist. When I first heard his claims, I didn't believe them. The rumours about abusers in high places (including many of the men he alleged abused him) had been circulating for years. It was time they were investigated and either proved or rejected.
I found the allegations fantastical. I was surprised that senior police officers hadn't previously been aware of these kind of fantastical allegations, often from people with personality disorders.
This mess will set back child protection investigations and hurt genuine victims.

It seems basic investigations were not undertaken:
he claimed he had broken bones, several untreated: an x-ray showed no damaged bones.

He claimed he was taken out of school on a weekly basis: his school attendance records for the time shows a 100% attendance record (he even won a prize).

claimed he had a fear of water because of the abuse: family photos show him enjoying snorkling and even owned an underwater camera,

claimed he was abused in a double bed on Ted Heath's yacht: it was a racing yacht and as such only had hammocks.

Police must investigate any claims of abuse but just a couple of simple enquiries would have shown him for the liar he was. How many genuine victims of abuse will now hesitate to come forward for fear of not being believed.

Yes, it seems to have been a very bad week for Tom Watson. First, we had his demand the Jennie Formby send him personally documents from her office relating to her handling of antisemitism, at a time when she is undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer.

Now we have his ill-judged comments on the then alleged paedophile ring in Westminster and other government bodies, which has turned out to be totally untrue.

I believe Watson's position as Deputy Leader of the Parliamentary Labour Party is to be discussed by the National Executive Committee due to his performance in that position of late, so perhaps these two most recent self-made incidents will ensure he is "kicked out" of that role.
Perhaps then his Constituency Party will deselect him as their MP by way of the new Trigger Ballets.

The only thing Tom Watson has been interested in recent years has been Tom Watson, and in that, it has been "which ever way the wind is blowing there stands Watson."

I agree with every word on this thread, I remember when the allegations were first made, I found it difficult to believe they were true. If I, a very ordinary sixty something lady, found it difficult to believe, and instinctively felt that there was something fishy about it all, why not the police? Why just swallow it all hook, line, and sinker? I know the police must do their job, but it was all in the public arena and there clearly wasn’t any evidence. Disgraceful is a polite way of saying how I feel about it all.

The Met are rotten.

You're telling me Annie.

The police will get away with this as with all miscarriages of
justice.

I doubt it POGS. It doesn’t work like that - who was ever brought to account the Guildford 4 or the Birmingham 6 or the Bridgewater 4 or Stefan Kiszko among many miscarriages of justice that do not reflect well on our police, judiciary, prosecutors. Innocent lives and families ruined and no one brought to book.

I fully agree POGS and I wonder how Tom Watson feels now?
The real villains of this debacle though,( apart from the criminal fantasist who caused it all) are the police in charge of the investigation.I don’t say things lightly about the police, but in this case they certainly got it wrong in every possible way.

Tom Watson said of Leon Brittan he was :-

"as close to evil as any human could get".

In has always been my opinion what is ' as close to evil ' is a person or people who are happy to totally destroy the lives of others without any factual evidence, using others to do their dirty work and hiding behind a shield that means they cannot be taken to court for the lies they spread.

When Labour Deputy Leader Tom Watson said " It was not my role to judge whether victims’ stories were true" is that not exactly what he was doing?

Sadly no doubt there will be no repercussions for those who initiated and wallowed in this sordid affair and it will still only be left for those alive such as Lady Brittan, Harvey Proctor et al to continue to feel the destruction caused to them and their families. Beyond annoying and unfair.

I hope further action will be taken now as against certain players in this debacle to bring them to account for what they have said.

Gonegirl it really was distressing.

Justice has not been done and cannot be done, Leon Brittan was very ill with cancer so died with the accusations filling the media.