This sick fantasist made my life and many others hell – now he’s about to be released | UK | News

To Carl Beech’s early release from an 18-year prison sentence for perverting the course of justice and serious sexual offences, I treat him as I would have treated that man: with cold disdain and icy disdain. God willing, Mr. Beech now has many years to rebuild his life. I do not. He stole the twilight of my years from me and my partner. The damage he caused was deliberate, calculated and devastating.

I hope the license on which he is released includes strict and enforceable conditions that will prevent him from making further false claims against those he has already slandered, including me. It must not be allowed to compound the damage it has already done by reviving lies that have already been exposed, tested in court, and criminally proven false. Mr Beech should be treated no differently than other criminals. But neither he nor his supporters should be allowed to cause further harm by repeating claims that are already destroying lives.

Compounding the injustice is this: In law, I and others who were wrongfully accused are not recognized as victims of Carl Beech’s crimes. Instead, the Crown is treated as a sole victim. That’s why I wasn’t notified of his release. It is a profound failure of the justice system that those whose lives have been disrupted by false allegations are excluded from even the most basic definition of harm.

Operation Midland was launched by the Metropolitan Police more than a decade ago. Since that day, not a day has passed that the consequences were not felt by me, my partner and my friends. I’m happy to start working again. I’m relieved to no longer live in a garden shed. I am grateful to be able to live in the UK and no longer face exile; I still receive death threats and a panic alarm was later placed at my home by the police. I was found innocent by Sir Richard Henriques, the jury at Newcastle Crown Court in the Beech case and every true, fair and independent voice examining this scandal.

But innocence does not erase the stain of blame. Being accused of child abuse and serial murder is a terrible thing. Being cleared doesn’t take away the burden of knowing that anyone – especially the Metropolitan Police – might think I was capable of such shady deeds. These claims settle in one’s soul. They do not disappear with a verdict.

Most disturbing is that, despite the extent of the mistakes made, no police officer was held personally responsible for the disastrous failures of Operation Midland; rather, they are enriched, ennobled, or retired with a gold-plated pension.

Equally disturbing is the silence of those who played a public role in legitimizing Carl Beech’s lies. I am shocked and appalled that there has been no apology from Tom Watson, who offered disingenuous and vehement support for Beech, but was later extolled by Sir Keir Starmer – despite Watson’s initial nomination being rejected by Jeremy Corbyn by the House of Lords Appointments Committee. Nor has there been any remorse from the Prime Minister, who, as Director of Public Prosecutions, advocated a policy that subverted centuries of British justice by instructing prosecutors to “believe the victim”, catastrophically undermining the presumption of innocence.

The role of influential publishers should also not be forgotten. Another of Carl Beech’s cheerleaders, James O’Brien, was ready to attack me publicly – not once but twice – including on the LBC in the 1980s, when he falsely claimed that I had “publicly lied” about my private life. This was a lie disguised as truth.

Those who see themselves as arbiters of truth can reflect on their own records before denigrating others. His support for Carl Beech’s narrative and the broader culture that made it possible should neither be forgotten nor excused.

Finally, despite the extent of the failures revealed, no police officer was held personally responsible for the catastrophic errors committed during Operation Midland. This lack of responsibility should concern everyone. If this could happen to me, the former Minister of Internal Affairs, the Prime Minister and the Chief of the Armed Forces, the same situation can happen to anyone again. When basic precautions are abandoned, we are all vulnerable to false accusations and faulty investigations.

My thoughts today are with Lady Diana Brittan and her family, Sir Edward Heath’s loved ones and Lord Bramall’s family. For many of us, the consequences of Carl Beech’s guilt did not end with his conviction and do not end with his release.

• Harvey Proctor is a former MP and chairman of the not-for-profit organisation, Facing Allegations in Contexts of Trust (FACT).