Latest news with #LordBrittan
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Lord Brittan's widow slams closure of police probe after fake abuse claims against husband
The widow of former home secretary Lord Brittan, who was falsely accused of being part of a paedophile ring in Westminster, said her trust in the Met and the police watchdog has been "severely undermined" after an investigation into an officer over his handling of the claims was dropped. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said last week it had stopped the investigation into former Met deputy assistant commissioner Steve Rodhouse after a "large volume of relevant material was recently disclosed to the IOPC by the Metropolitan Police". Mr Rodhouse was due to face a disciplinary hearing for potentially breaching police professional standards of behaviour for honesty and integrity and discreditable conduct. The allegations centred around comments made to the media in March 2016 concerning his beliefs about the honesty of two witnesses to Operation Midland - a Met investigation into allegations of non-recent sexual abuse. They also involved remarks he is alleged to have subsequently made to former High Court judge Sir Richard Henriques, who had been commissioned to carry out an independent review of the handling of Operation Midland in August 2016. In an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Lady Diana Brittan said she had hoped the investigation would bring a sense of "closure". She said: "My husband was a high-profile individual, but at every level of society there are people who are falsely accused, and for them (also) it's the ruining of reputation, it's the anxiety that goes with it. "I feel that it would have at least put a closure, to use that odd word, on the whole episode if somebody had been held to account, either for misconduct, or even for incompetence." Operation Midland was launched off the back of lurid and false allegations made by fantasist Carl Beech - later jailed for 18 years for what a judge called "cruel and callous" lies. The Metropolitan Police's 16-month investigation into fake claims of a VIP paedophile ring saw raids on the homes of Lord Brittan, as well as D-Day veteran Lord Bramall and ex-Tory MP Harvey Proctor. The probe ended in 2016 without a single arrest after Beech made a series of baseless allegations, including of three murders. The force was heavily criticised for believing Beech too readily despite inconsistencies in his evidence, including naming witnesses who did not exist. The IOPC said there was "no evidence" within the material provided from the Met that there was "any inappropriate motivation in Mr Rodhouse's comments to the media" or which "supports that he made those remarks during Sir Richard's review". Mr Rodhouse said the allegations made against him were "ill-founded and incorrect". Mr Proctor said he was "appalled" by the "disgraceful decision" not to proceed, adding he would be writing to Sir Mark Rowley, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, to "demand a meeting and an explanation". Lady Brittan said she felt her husband's legacy had been permanently tarnished by the episode, telling the BBC: "What I really feel very sorry about is the fact that my husband was a great public servant. "When he died, his obituaries referred to all of this." In response to Lady Brittan's comments, an IOPC spokesperson said: "Our recent decision does not change our finding that - by failing to follow Sir Richard Henrique 's recommendation to investigate the witnesses in his independent review of the Met's handling of Op Midland - the Met's service was unacceptable and its subsequent reviews concluding no investigation was needed were flawed. "During our investigation we reported a potential crime to the Met, which is being actively investigated by another force."
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Lady Brittan attacks Met Police for dropping sex case review
Lord Brittan's widow has criticised the Metropolitan Police for dropping an investigation into an officer's handling of the paedophile claims against her husband. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said last week it had stopped the investigation into Steve Rodhouse, the former Met deputy assistant commissioner, after a 'large volume of relevant material was recently disclosed to the IOPC by the Metropolitan Police'. Mr Rodhouse was due to face a disciplinary hearing for potentially breaching police professional standards of behaviour for honesty and integrity and discreditable conduct. It followed the Met's 16-month Operation Midland into fake claims of a VIP paedophile ring by fantasist Carl Beech, which saw raids on the homes of Lord Brittan, as well as Lord Bramall, a D-Day veteran, and Harvey Proctor, the ex-Tory MP. Beech was later jailed for 18 years for what a judge called 'cruel and callous' lies. In an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Lady Brittan said she had hoped the investigation would bring a sense of 'closure'. She said: 'My husband was a high-profile individual, but at every level of society, there are people who are falsely accused, and for them (also) it's the ruining of reputation, it's the anxiety that goes with it. 'I feel that it would have at least put a closure, to use that odd word, on the whole episode if somebody had been held to account, either for misconduct, or even for incompetence.' The force was heavily criticised for believing Beech too readily despite inconsistencies in his evidence, including naming witnesses who did not exist. The allegations against Mr Rodhouse had centred around comments made to the media in March 2016 concerning his beliefs about the honesty of two witnesses to Operation Midland, a Met investigation into allegations of non-recent sexual abuse. But the IOPC said there was 'no evidence' within the material provided from the Met that there was 'any inappropriate motivation in Mr Rodhouse's comments to the media' or that 'supports that he made those remarks during Sir Richard's review'. Mr Rodhouse said the allegations made against him were 'ill-founded and incorrect'. Mr Proctor said he was 'appalled' by the 'disgraceful decision' not to proceed, adding that he would be writing to Sir Mark Rowley, the Met Police commissioner, to 'demand a meeting and an explanation'. Lady Brittan said she felt her husband's legacy had been permanently tarnished, telling the BBC: 'What I really feel very sorry about is the fact that my husband was a great public servant. 'When he died, his obituaries referred to all of this.'
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Lord Brittan's widow says closure of police misconduct probe ‘undermines trust'
The widow of former home secretary Lord Brittan, who was falsely accused of being part of a paedophile ring in Westminster, said her trust in the Met and the police watchdog has been 'severely undermined' after an investigation into an officer over his handling of the claims was dropped. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said last week it had stopped the investigation into former Met deputy assistant commissioner Steve Rodhouse after a 'large volume of relevant material was recently disclosed to the IOPC by the Metropolitan Police'. Mr Rodhouse was due to face a disciplinary hearing for potentially breaching police professional standards of behaviour for honesty and integrity and discreditable conduct. The allegations centred around comments made to the media in March 2016 concerning his beliefs about the honesty of two witnesses to Operation Midland – a Met investigation into allegations of non-recent sexual abuse. They also involved remarks he is alleged to have subsequently made to former High Court judge Sir Richard Henriques, who had been commissioned to carry out an independent review of the handling of Operation Midland in August 2016. In an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Lady Diana Brittan said she had hoped the investigation would bring a sense of 'closure'. She said: 'My husband was a high-profile individual, but at every level of society there are people who are falsely accused, and for them (also) it's the ruining of reputation, it's the anxiety that goes with it. 'I feel that it would have at least put a closure, to use that odd word, on the whole episode if somebody had been held to account, either for misconduct, or even for incompetence.' Operation Midland was launched off the back of lurid and false allegations made by fantasist Carl Beech – later jailed for 18 years for what a judge called 'cruel and callous' lies. The Metropolitan Police's 16-month investigation into fake claims of a VIP paedophile ring saw raids on the homes of Lord Brittan, as well as D-Day veteran Lord Bramall and ex-Tory MP Harvey Proctor. The probe ended in 2016 without a single arrest after Beech made a series of baseless allegations, including of three murders. The force was heavily criticised for believing Beech too readily despite inconsistencies in his evidence, including naming witnesses who did not exist. The IOPC said there was 'no evidence' within the material provided from the Met that there was 'any inappropriate motivation in Mr Rodhouse's comments to the media' or which 'supports that he made those remarks during Sir Richard's review'. Mr Rodhouse said the allegations made against him were 'ill-founded and incorrect'. Mr Proctor said he was 'appalled' by the 'disgraceful decision' not to proceed, adding he would be writing to Sir Mark Rowley, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, to 'demand a meeting and an explanation'. Lady Brittan said she felt her husband's legacy had been permanently tarnished by the episode, telling the BBC: 'What I really feel very sorry about is the fact that my husband was a great public servant. 'When he died, his obituaries referred to all of this.' In response to Lady Brittan's comments, an IOPC spokesperson said: 'Our recent decision does not change our finding that – by failing to follow Sir Richard Henrique's recommendation to investigate the witnesses in his independent review of the Met's handling of Op Midland – the Met's service was unacceptable and its subsequent reviews concluding no investigation was needed were flawed. 'During our investigation we reported a potential crime to the Met, which is being actively investigated by another force.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lord Brittan's widow says closure of police misconduct probe ‘undermines trust'
The widow of former home secretary Lord Brittan, who was falsely accused of being part of a paedophile ring in Westminster, said her trust in the Met and the police watchdog has been 'severely undermined' after an investigation into an officer over his handling of the claims was dropped. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said last week it had stopped the investigation into former Met deputy assistant commissioner Steve Rodhouse after a 'large volume of relevant material was recently disclosed to the IOPC by the Metropolitan Police'. Mr Rodhouse was due to face a disciplinary hearing for potentially breaching police professional standards of behaviour for honesty and integrity and discreditable conduct. The allegations centred around comments made to the media in March 2016 concerning his beliefs about the honesty of two witnesses to Operation Midland – a Met investigation into allegations of non-recent sexual abuse. They also involved remarks he is alleged to have subsequently made to former High Court judge Sir Richard Henriques, who had been commissioned to carry out an independent review of the handling of Operation Midland in August 2016. In an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Lady Diana Brittan said she had hoped the investigation would bring a sense of 'closure'. She said: 'My husband was a high-profile individual, but at every level of society there are people who are falsely accused, and for them (also) it's the ruining of reputation, it's the anxiety that goes with it. 'I feel that it would have at least put a closure, to use that odd word, on the whole episode if somebody had been held to account, either for misconduct, or even for incompetence.' Operation Midland was launched off the back of lurid and false allegations made by fantasist Carl Beech – later jailed for 18 years for what a judge called 'cruel and callous' lies. The Metropolitan Police's 16-month investigation into fake claims of a VIP paedophile ring saw raids on the homes of Lord Brittan, as well as D-Day veteran Lord Bramall and ex-Tory MP Harvey Proctor. The probe ended in 2016 without a single arrest after Beech made a series of baseless allegations, including of three murders. The force was heavily criticised for believing Beech too readily despite inconsistencies in his evidence, including naming witnesses who did not exist. The IOPC said there was 'no evidence' within the material provided from the Met that there was 'any inappropriate motivation in Mr Rodhouse's comments to the media' or which 'supports that he made those remarks during Sir Richard's review'. Mr Rodhouse said the allegations made against him were 'ill-founded and incorrect'. Mr Proctor said he was 'appalled' by the 'disgraceful decision' not to proceed, adding he would be writing to Sir Mark Rowley, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, to 'demand a meeting and an explanation'. Lady Brittan said she felt her husband's legacy had been permanently tarnished by the episode, telling the BBC: 'What I really feel very sorry about is the fact that my husband was a great public servant. 'When he died, his obituaries referred to all of this.'
BBC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
'No closure' for widow of Leon Brittan after he was falsely accused of abuse
The widow of ex-Home Secretary Lord Brittan, who was falsely accused of being part of a paedophile ring in Westminster, has criticised the decision to drop an investigation into the officer who led an inquiry into the Diana Brittan said the misconduct proceedings against Met Police officer Steve Rodhouse had been "quietly dropped".She told BBC's Emma Barnett it showed a "complete lack of professionalism" and that her trust in the Met and the police watchdog that led the investigation had been "severely undermined".Claims of sex abuse against Lord Brittan were false and made up by a man called Carl Beech - who aside from being a fantasist and a fraudster was himself a paedophile. The Met Police investigation into Beech's original allegations, called Operation Midland, was run from November 2014 to March 2016, and cost the force £ Brittan died of cancer in January 2015, before learning that there was no case to answer against him. Four years later, Beech was jailed for 12 counts of perverting the course of justice, one of fraud, as well as several child sexual Rodhouse had been under investigation for gross misconduct since 2023, and was due to face a disciplinary hearing on 16 June for leading the inquiry into what turned out to be false allegations against a string of high-profile in a surprise announcement last week, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it was stopping the proceedings after a "large volume of relevant material was recently disclosed to it" by the Met Rodhouse said he welcomed the decision, and that the allegations of gross misconduct had been "ill-founded and incorrect".The Met told the BBC it was "pleased the matter is now concluded".In a statement, the force said it had been assumed old emails related to the case had been deleted from its systems."As soon as we became aware that some older material was still held, we informed the IOPC and arranged for it to be shared," it added. "Any impact this had on the investigation or proceedings was entirely unintentional."The IOPC told BBC News it was "highly regrettable that material we requested three years ago during our investigation, only recently came to light", and said it acknowledged it could have done more to make sure the emails were definitely unavailable."Our investigation team is working with the Met to establish how this situation occurred and reduce the risk of it happening again," the watchdog added. 'They raided my condolence letters' Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Lady Brittan said there had been a "tsunami of publicity" after the false allegations were made against her husband - despite no charges having been brought against after her husband's death, she said she was "treated as an accessory to a crime". About six weeks after her husband died, the couple's home was raided by the Met."I was in the middle of trying to answer condolence letters. I was on my own, I was trying to grieve. I was sitting here actually rooted to the spot while police officers searched the house - including [going through] my condolence letters," she said."I wasn't treated even remotely near a vulnerable human being. I was quite vulnerable because there I was, on my own, newly widowed."She said she hadn't felt able to grieve properly until years later, when Beech was convicted, in who were accused under Operation Midland, she said, were treated as though they were "guilty until proved innocent", rather than the other way around. Although Beech was later imprisoned for making false claims, and her husband's name was cleared, Lady Brittan feels his legacy has been permanently tarnished."What I really feel very sorry about is the fact that my husband was a great public servant," she said, adding that he had been the youngest home secretary since Winston Churchill."When he died, his obituaries referred to all of this," she said. After a 2019 report published into the Met Police's handling of the investigation, the force apologised for its handling of the case and later paid compensation to Lord Brittan's March 2020, then-Met Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said: "Operation Midland had a terrible impact on those who were falsely accused by Carl Beech."The previous commissioner and I have apologised to them and I repeat that apology again today." Lady Brittan said she still doesn't feel there has been a resolution to the false claims, to the police investigation or the impact of the media attention."This misconduct hearing was started a year or two back, and you would have thought that the IOPC would have bothered to perhaps make sure, as this was a high-profile case for them, that everything was in order for the hearing that was to have been heard on the 16 June," she said she wants there to be action taken to prevent what happened to her husband happening to other people."My husband was a high-profile individual, but at every level of society there are people who are falsely accused, and for them [also] it's the ruining of reputation, it's the anxiety that goes with it," she said."So, I feel that it would have at least put a closure, to use that odd word, on the whole episode if somebody had been held to account, either for misconduct, or even for incompetence."
