Rosie Waterhouse

The historic sex abuse investigation needs a dose of common sense

Amid the tidal wave of allegations of ‘historic’ sexual abuse by so-called VIP paedophiles, yet another high-profile police investigation has stalled. Wiltshire Police, who are looking into claims made against the late Sir Edward Heath, revealed two weeks ago that they had released the only other two people arrested, saying they face no further action. Despite this, officers told Radio 4’s Today programme that Operation Conifer ‘remains… an ongoing investigation’ and that ‘there are a significant number of allegations made by a separate number of individuals’. But it’s unclear where else the investigation can go.

Following the abandonment of another probe – that of Operation Midland – by the Metropolitan Police, the former Conservative MP Harvey Proctor is reported to be suing the anonymous witness known only as ‘Nick’, who has accused him and others of decades-old sex crimes. Following an independent review by a retired high court judge, Sir Richard Henriques, Nick has been described as a fantasist. Northumbria Police are also considering whether to charge him for attempting to pervert the course of justice. 

Mr Proctor is now suing the Metropolitan Police for damages; so too are former army chief Lord Bramall and the celebrity DJ Paul Gambaccini, who have also been falsely accused of abuse and face no further action. The claims could collectively cost the Met an estimated £3 million – but the damage and financial cost to these men’s reputations is incalculable. The question is, just how many others are facing historic accusations which are false? 

Police across the UK have been so overwhelmed by the onslaught of child abuse allegations – including current, ‘non-recent’, online and peer-to-peer abuse – that many forces have reached ‘saturation point’, according to Britain’s most senior child protection police officer. Simon Bailey, Chief Constable of the Norfolk Constabulary, is so concerned by the ‘unprecedented volume’ that he has proposed the decriminalisation of offenders who do not pose a physical threat to children, such as those viewing ‘low level’ online child pornography.

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