Latest news with #OperationMidland
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Misconduct claims against VIP abuse inquiry officer dropped
Gross misconduct proceedings have been withdrawn against a former Met Police officer who led an inquiry into what turned out to be false sex abuse allegations against a string of high-profile figures. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it had stopped its investigation into Steve Rodhouse after a "large volume of relevant material was recently disclosed" to it by the Met Police. He faced allegations around comments made to the media in March 2016 concerning his beliefs about the honesty of two witnesses in the investigation. In a statement, Mr Rodhouse said the allegations were "ill-founded and incorrect", adding that while he welcomed the decision he was "yet to receive an adequate explanation as to how this debacle occurred". He led Operation Midland, which investigated false claims that MPs and generals - including former home secretary Lord Brittan, D-Day Veteran Lord Bramall, and ex-Conservative MP Harvey Proctor - had abused and murdered children. The operation was largely based on claims made by Carl Beech, who was jailed in 2019 for making false allegations. 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 former Met deputy assistant commissioner was also alleged to have subsequently made remarks to former High Court judge Sir Richard Henriques, who had been commissioned to carry out an independent review of the handling of the operation in August 2016. Beech was sentenced to 18 years in prison for 12 counts of perverting the course of justice, one of fraud, and for several child sexual offences after a damning review by Sir Richard recommended he be investigated by another police force. But the BBC revealed in 2019 that two other complainants who had made false claims were not referred by the Met for investigation, despite Sir Richard recommending they should be. The investigation by the IOPC related to an alleged contrast between Mr Rodhouse's private and public positions. It was claimed Mr Rodhouse told Sir Richard in a private presentation in 2016 that he was "satisfied" the other two complainants had "told deliberate lies". Mr Rodhouse disputes that claim. When Operation Midland had closed months earlier with no arrests or charges, Scotland Yard issued a public statement to the media that said detectives had "not found evidence to prove that they were knowingly misled by a complainant". New material presented to the IOPC by the Met Police led to the investigation being closed. The police watchdog said there was "no evidence" within the fresh material 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". It said there was "substantial evidence to indicate" comments made to the media were "the result of collaboration between senior Met officers and staff". The police watchdog added that there had also been "appropriate considerations, including a desire not to discourage victims of historic sex offences coming forward". Mr Proctor said he was the complainant in the scrapped gross misconduct proceedings against Mr Rodhouse. He labelled the IOPC's decision not to proceed as "disgraceful" and said it was an "insult to victims of false allegations and a betrayal of the public's trust". He added: "For Mr Rodhouse to claim he acted with 'honesty, integrity and care' in Operation Midland is as grotesque as it is offensive." Speaking about the operation, the former MP said that "innocent men, including myself, had our reputations shredded, homes raided, and lives wrecked based on obvious falsehoods". "I will never get over what was done to me," he said. "Operation Midland is not history to me - it lives with me every hour of every day." Mr Rodhouse, who is now a director at the National Crime Agency, said he was "pleased" the IOPC had "recognised that I acted with honesty, integrity and care throughout a difficult investigation". He said police officers "must have confidence that any complaints about their conduct will be competently investigated in a balanced and timely fashion", adding "I now look forward to resuming my career investigating and prosecuting serious criminals." IOPC Director Amanda Rowe said its decision on Thursday "does not change our finding that by failing to follow Sir Richard's recommendation in his review to investigate the witnesses, the Met's service was unacceptable". She said: "Its subsequent reviews concluding no investigation was needed were flawed", adding, "we apologise to all of those affected and we are working with the force to establish exactly how and why this situation has occurred, and to reduce the risk of it happening again." Ms Rowe said the police watchdog had reported a "potential crime" to the Met during its investigation, which was being "actively investigated by another force". 'VIP abuse' accuser jailed for 18 years
Telegraph
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Met officer in VIP abuse scandal has gross misconduct charges dropped
The senior police officer who led Scotland Yard's VIP child abuse inquiry has had gross misconduct charges against him dropped. Steve Rodhouse, a former assistant commissioner at the Metropolitan Police, had been due to face a disciplinary hearing over his handling of aspects of Operation Midland. He had been accused of breaching professional standards and making dishonest statements while leading the operation. Mr Rodhouse, who is currently the director general of operations at the National Crime Agency, was the only officer to face disciplinary proceedings as a result of Operation Midland, which saw several high-profile figures investigated over false allegations of child abuse. On Thursday, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) announced that it was dropping the charges. A spokesman for the watchdog said the decision had been taken after a large volume of relevant material was unexpectedly disclosed by the Met. The decision means not a single officer has been held to account for the blunders that led to innocent people, including high-ranking military personnel and former ministers and MPs, being investigated over malicious child sex allegations. Operation Midland was launched in 2014 after fantasist Carl Beech went to police claiming he had been raped and abused by a VIP paedophile ring in the 1980s. He told police that well-known figures, including Sir Edward Heath, the former prime minister; Lord Brittan, the former Home Secretary; Lord Bramall, the former head of the Army; and Harvey Proctor, the former Tory MP, had raped and even murdered children. The Met spent 18 months investigating the claims, even raiding the homes of some of those falsely accused, before shutting it down without making a single arrest. In July 2019, Beech was jailed for 18 years after being found guilty of perverting the course of justice and fraud. Two other men, known as Witness A and Witness B, were alleged to have also come forward during Operation Midland to corroborate Beech's lies with false allegations, but they were never charged. The claims against Mr Rodhouse centred on comments he made in the media about the honesty of Witnesses A and B, and subsequent remarks he made to Sir Richard Henriques, the former High Court judge who was carrying out an independent review into the handling of Operation Midland. Following an IOPC investigation, the watchdog concluded that Mr Rodhouse had a case to answer and should attend a disciplinary hearing. But that decision has been reversed following the late disclosure of a cache of material from Scotland Yard. Harvey Proctor, who is the only living Operation Midland victim, described the decision to drop the charges as 'appalling'. An IOPC spokesman said there was no evidence within the material that there was any 'inappropriate motivation' in Mr Roadhouse's comments. The spokesman said: 'There was, however, substantial evidence to indicate the comments made to the media were the result of collaboration between senior Met officers and staff and that there had been appropriate considerations, including a desire not to discourage victims of historic sex offences coming forward.' Amanda Rowe, director of the IOPC, said: 'It is highly regrettable for all concerned that material we requested three years ago during our investigation, and we believed had not been retained due to the Met's retention policy, has only recently been discovered and disclosed. 'Police forces have a legal obligation to provide information to the IOPC when we request it. However, we acknowledge that we could have taken further steps during the investigation to seek additional assurance from the Met that relevant email material was definitely unavailable. 'We apologise to all of those affected and we are working with the force to establish exactly how and why this situation has occurred, and to reduce the risk of it happening again. 'Today's announcement does not change our finding that by failing to follow Sir Richard's recommendation in his review to investigate the witnesses, 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.' Mr Rodhouse said the allegations made against him were 'ill-founded and incorrect'. In a statement, he added: 'I am pleased that the IOPC has finally recognised that I acted with honesty, integrity and care throughout a difficult investigation. 'I welcome the IOPC's apology, but I have yet to receive an adequate explanation as to how this debacle occurred. 'I recognise that senior police officers must be held accountable for their actions, and that public complaints must be properly considered. 'However, if police officers are to willingly take on complex and challenging investigations, they must have the confidence that any complaints made about their conduct will be competently investigated in a balanced and timely fashion. That was not the case here. 'Vital evidence was not considered despite it being readily available and repeatedly requested. 'I am grateful for all of the support that I have received, and I now look forward to resuming my career investigating and prosecuting serious criminals.'
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Met officer in VIP abuse scandal has gross misconduct charges dropped
The senior police officer who led Scotland Yard's VIP child abuse inquiry has had gross misconduct charges against him dropped. Steve Rodhouse, a former assistant commissioner at the Metropolitan Police, had been due to face a disciplinary hearing over his handling of aspects of Operation Midland. He had been accused of breaching professional standards and making dishonest statements while leading the operation. Mr Rodhouse, who is currently the director general of operations at the National Crime Agency, was the only officer to face disciplinary proceedings as a result of Operation Midland, which saw several high-profile figures investigated over false allegations of child abuse. On Thursday, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) announced that it was dropping the charges. A spokesman for the watchdog said the decision had been taken after a large volume of relevant material was unexpectedly disclosed by the Met. The decision means not a single officer has been held to account for the blunders that led to innocent people, including high-ranking military personnel and former ministers and MPs, being investigated over malicious child sex allegations. Operation Midland was launched in 2014 after fantasist Carl Beech went to police claiming he had been raped and abused by a VIP paedophile ring in the 1980s. He told police that well-known figures, including Sir Edward Heath, the former prime minister; Lord Brittan, the former Home Secretary; Lord Bramall, the former head of the Army; and Harvey Proctor, the former Tory MP, had raped and even murdered children. The Met spent 18 months investigating the claims, even raiding the homes of some of those falsely accused, before shutting it down without making a single arrest. In July 2019, Beech was jailed for 18 years after being found guilty of perverting the course of justice and fraud. Two other men, known as Witness A and Witness B, were alleged to have also come forward during Operation Midland to corroborate Beech's lies with false allegations, but they were never charged. The claims against Mr Rodhouse centred on comments he made in the media about the honesty of Witnesses A and B, and subsequent remarks he made to Sir Richard Henriques, the former High Court judge who was carrying out an independent review into the handling of Operation Midland. Following an IOPC investigation, the watchdog concluded that Mr Rodhouse had a case to answer and should attend a disciplinary hearing. But that decision has been reversed following the late disclosure of a cache of material from Scotland Yard. Harvey Proctor, who is the only living Operation Midland victim, described the decision to drop the charges as 'appalling'. An IOPC spokesman said there was no evidence within the material that there was any 'inappropriate motivation' in Mr Roadhouse's comments. The spokesman said: 'There was, however, substantial evidence to indicate the comments made to the media were the result of collaboration between senior Met officers and staff and that there had been appropriate considerations, including a desire not to discourage victims of historic sex offences coming forward.' Amanda Rowe, director of the IOPC, said: 'It is highly regrettable for all concerned that material we requested three years ago during our investigation, and we believed had not been retained due to the Met's retention policy, has only recently been discovered and disclosed. 'Police forces have a legal obligation to provide information to the IOPC when we request it. However, we acknowledge that we could have taken further steps during the investigation to seek additional assurance from the Met that relevant email material was definitely unavailable. 'We apologise to all of those affected and we are working with the force to establish exactly how and why this situation has occurred, and to reduce the risk of it happening again. 'Today's announcement does not change our finding that by failing to follow Sir Richard's recommendation in his review to investigate the witnesses, 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.' Mr Rodhouse said the allegations made against him were 'ill-founded and incorrect'. In a statement, he added: 'I am pleased that the IOPC has finally recognised that I acted with honesty, integrity and care throughout a difficult investigation. 'I welcome the IOPC's apology, but I have yet to receive an adequate explanation as to how this debacle occurred. 'I recognise that senior police officers must be held accountable for their actions, and that public complaints must be properly considered. 'However, if police officers are to willingly take on complex and challenging investigations, they must have the confidence that any complaints made about their conduct will be competently investigated in a balanced and timely fashion. That was not the case here. 'Vital evidence was not considered despite it being readily available and repeatedly requested. 'I am grateful for all of the support that I have received, and I now look forward to resuming my career investigating and prosecuting serious criminals.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
BBC News
15 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
Misconduct proceedings against VIP abuse inquiry officer dropped
Gross misconduct proceedings have been withdrawn against a former Met Police officer who led an inquiry into what turned out to be false sex abuse allegations against a string of high-profile Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it had stopped its investigation into Steve Rodhouse after a "large volume of relevant material was recently disclosed" to it by the Met faced allegations around comments made to the media in March 2016 concerning his beliefs about the honesty of two witnesses in the a statement, Mr Rodhouse said the allegations were "ill-founded and incorrect", adding that while he welcomed the decision he was "yet to receive an adequate explanation as to how this debacle occurred". He led Operation Midland, which investigated false claims that MPs and generals were among those who abused and murdered children, an operation largely based on claims made by Carl Beech, who was jailed in 2019 for making false Rodhouse was due to face a disciplinary hearing for potentially breaching police professional standards of behaviour for honesty and integrity and discreditable former Met deputy assistant commissioner was also alleged to have subsequently made remarks to former High Court judge Sir Richard Henriques, who had been commissioned to carry out an independent review of the handling of the operation in August was sentenced to 18 years in prison for 12 counts of perverting the course of justice, one of fraud, and for several child sexual offences after a damning review by Sir Richard recommended he be investigated by another police the BBC revealed in 2019 that two other complainants who had made false claims were not referred by the Met for investigation, despite Sir Richard recommending they should investigation by the IOPC related to the contrast between Mr Rodhouse's private and public 2016, he told Sir Richard in a private presentation that he was "satisfied" the other two complainants had "told deliberate lies".However, when Operation Midland had closed months earlier with no arrests or charges, Scotland Yard issued a public statement to the media that said detectives had "not found evidence to prove that they were knowingly misled by a complainant". New material presented to the IOPC means that investigation has now closed."There is no evidence within the recently disclosed material 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," the IOPC said there was "substantial evidence to indicate" comments made to the media were "the result of collaboration between senior Met officers and staff".The police watchdog added that there had also been "appropriate considerations, including a desire not to discourage victims of historic sex offences coming forward".Mr Rodhouse, who is now a director at the National Crime Agency, said he was "pleased" the IOPC had "recognised that I acted with honesty, integrity and care throughout a difficult investigation".He said police officers "must have confidence that any complaints about their conduct will be competently investigated in a balanced and timely fashion", adding "I now look forward to resuming my career investigating and prosecuting serious criminals."IOPC Director Amanda Rowe said its decision on Thursday "does not change our finding that by failing to follow Sir Richard's recommendation in his review to investigate the witnesses, the Met's service was unacceptable".She said: "Its subsequent reviews concluding no investigation was needed were flawed", adding, "we apologise to all of those affected and we are working with the force to establish exactly how and why this situation has occurred, and to reduce the risk of it happening again."Ms Rowe said the police watchdog had reported a "potential crime" to the Met during its investigation, which was being "actively investigated by another force".
The Independent
15 hours ago
- The Independent
Misconduct probe against ex-Met officer over handling of fake abuse claims ended
A police watchdog has withdrawn gross misconduct proceedings against a former senior Metropolitan Police officer over his handling of false abuse claims made against a string of high-profile figures. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said 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. 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 former home secretary 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'. In a statement on Thursday, the policing watchdog said there was 'substantial evidence' to indicate comments made to the media were the 'result of collaboration between senior Met officers and staff' and there had been appropriate considerations, including a 'desire not to discourage victims of historic sex offences coming forward'. It added that by failing to follow Sir Richard's recommendation to investigate witnesses, the Met's service was 'unacceptable' and its subsequent reviews concluding no investigation was needed were 'flawed'. The IOPC said it had reported a potential crime to the Met during its investigation, adding this was being investigated by Sussex Police. A 2016 review of Operation Midland, led by Sir Richard Henriques, found offences of attempting to pervert the course of justice should be considered. As then deputy assistant commissioner, Mr Rodhouse was in charge of Operation Midland. He went on to take up a senior role at the National Crime Agency. The new material, amounting to more than 3,500 emails and attachments, was provided to the IOPC in March following a further request to the force in preparation for the gross misconduct hearing. Mr Rodhouse said the allegations made against him were 'ill-founded and incorrect'. In a statement, he added: 'I am pleased that the IOPC has finally recognised that I acted with honesty, integrity and care throughout a difficult investigation. 'I welcome the IOPC's apology, but I have yet to receive an adequate explanation as to how this debacle occurred. 'I recognise that senior police officers must be held accountable for their actions, and that public complaints must be properly considered. 'However, if police officers are to willingly take on complex and challenging investigations, they must have the confidence that any complaints made about their conduct will be competently investigated in a balanced and timely fashion. That was not the case here. 'Vital evidence was not considered despite it being readily available and repeatedly requested. 'I am grateful for all of the support that I have received, and I now look forward to resuming my career investigating and prosecuting serious criminals.' IOPC director Amanda Rowe said: 'Today's announcement does not change our finding that by failing to follow Sir Richard's recommendation in his review to investigate the witnesses, the Met's service was unacceptable and its subsequent reviews concluding no investigation was needed were flawed.' Ms Rowe added: 'It is highly regrettable for all concerned that material we requested three years ago during our investigation, and we believed had not been retained due to the Met's retention policy, has only recently been discovered and disclosed. 'Police forces have a legal obligation to provide information to the IOPC when we request it. 'However, we acknowledge that we could have taken further steps during the investigation to seek additional assurance from the Met that relevant email material was definitely unavailable. 'We apologise to all of those affected and we are working with the force to establish exactly how and why this situation has occurred, and to reduce the risk of it happening again.'
