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105-560: During 2014 and 2015, allegations against several leading politicians of the period, mostly now deceased, were made public in the British press. Many of these claims were examined and discredited in an October 2015 episode of the BBC current affairs television programme, Panorama . The role of the guest house became the subject of a Metropolitan Police Service investigation known as Operation Fairbank in late 2012. The purpose of this "scoping exercise"

210-646: A Panorama documentary about the Israeli boarding of the Mavi Marmara was "accurate and impartial" overall..." On 29 November 2010, three days before voting for the 2018 FIFA World Cup , Panorama broadcast an investigation into bribes by senior FIFA officials. On 31 May 2011 Panorama aired an investigation into physical and psychological abuse suffered by people with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour at Winterbourne View private hospital in Bristol . It showed

315-482: A sauna , solarium and video studio. The Edwardian house has since been converted into two-bedroom apartments, and the current occupants are not connected to the allegations. In the 1970s, Elm Guest House owners Haroon and Carole Kasir allowed male prostitutes to take their clients to the establishment. A party was raided by the police in 1982 and the Kasirs were charged with running a disorderly house . The identities of

420-490: A "witch-hunt". In late 2015, Watson was criticised for consistently refusing to comment after it was revealed that the police had been pressured into investigating rape allegations against Brittan by Watson. That November, Watson apologised to Brittan's widow and her family for the distress caused by the investigation. Metropolitan police commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe issued an apology of his own in February 2016 for mishandling

525-827: A VIP gang of paedophiles for over a decade at various locations, including at the Elm Guest House and Dolphin Square , and that he had witnessed them murder three boys. The murders of Vishal Mehrotra , Martin Allen and another boy were subsequently investigated as part of Operation Midland . Based only on Beech's claims, Operation Midland investigated Edward Heath , Leon Brittan , Edwin Bramall , Harvey Proctor and others. An inquiry conducted by Richard Henriques found that those accused had been victims of false allegations and Metropolitan Police Commissioner Hogan-Howe subsequently apologised to

630-784: A campaigner for the National Association of Young People in Care, claimed on oath that former Home Secretary Leon Brittan had been involved in abuse and that in March 1990 he had seen a photograph of Brittan with a young boy. He said the picture had been shown to him by Carole Kasir, co-owner of the Elm Guest House, who died weeks later. Fay alleged that children from the Grafton Close Children's Home in Richmond , southwest London, had told him they had been trafficked to Elm Guest House. He drew up

735-858: A care home for the severely disabled in Gloucestershire , without feeling repelled. In the wake of an exposé from the BBC’s Panorama, 11 members of staff were convicted of almost 40 charges of neglect and ill-treatment of those in their care." On 28 May 2012 Panorama examined the issues of racism , antisemitism and football hooliganism which it stated were prevalent among Polish and Ukrainian fans. The programme, titled "Euro 2012: Stadiums of Hate", included recent footage of fans chanting various antisemitic slogans and displays of white power symbols and banners. The documentary recorded antisemitism and monkey noise taunts of black players in Poland . In Ukraine ,

840-449: A claim of abuse to Wiltshire Police in 2012, in the wake of the Savile scandal: his claim at the time alleged that his stepfather, along with Jimmy Savile and a group of unidentified men, had abused him considerably. Detectives who investigated these allegations eventually concluded them to be unfounded, based on certain facts, which included his family situation in particular: his stepfather

945-597: A coffin." Carl Beech (criminal) Operation Midland was a criminal investigation which the London Metropolitan Police carried out between November 2014 and March 2016 in response to false allegations of historic child abuse made by Carl Beech. The operation focused on investigation of several high-profile British citizens—politicians, military officers and heads of security—over claims of historic child sexual abuse and murder. The 18-month operation failed to find sufficient evidence to support

1050-564: A conviction stemming from Grafton Close children's home, it did not expose abuse related to Elm Guest House. After McSweeney's conviction, Operation Fernbridge was closed and investigations related to Elm Guest House were taken over by Operation Athabasca. Metropolitan Police Commander Neil Jerome gave evidence on Operation Athabasca's findings to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) on 14 February 2019. Jerome concluded that "no credible victim has ever come forward alleging

1155-543: A documentary called "Undercover: Football's Dirty Secrets" , which alleged payments in English football contrary to the rules of the Football Association , involving: The Football Association has asked for any evidence as it tries to rid such action from football. On 1 October 2006 Panorama broadcast an episode on Crimen Sollicitationis , a church "instruction" approved by Pope John XXIII in 1962, which establishes

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1260-655: A former Elm Guest House prostitute was interviewed who claimed that he was unaware of any MPs visiting the brothel. Journalist John Oakes told them he had investigated Chris Fay's claims, but had never been able to find any "solid" information nor trace of photos Fay said he had seen. A man named Mark stated that he had been an abuse victim at Grafton Close but had never been to Elm Guest House and had never spoken to Fay. Another person interviewed by Panorama said they named Brittan as their abuser only after being pressured by Fay. The Daily Telegraph later reported that Fay had been jailed for fraud in 2011. Fay said he regretted starting

1365-531: A former children's home manager, were arrested on suspicion of sexual offences and questioned by child investigation officers from Operation Fernbridge in February 2013. A trial against Tony McSweeney started at Southwark Crown Court in February 2015. However, John Stingemore was found dead at his home in January 2015 whilst still awaiting trial. McSweeney was later convicted of his charges and sentenced to prison. Although arrests from Operation Fernbridge did result in

1470-463: A historic nature, reported by victims either directly to officers, or through interviews with journalists. Growing national public outcry over the possibility of there being more VIP serial abusers concealing their actions, and political campaigns demanding greater action to investigate cases of historic abuse, greatly affected the need for police to step up their efforts. In 2014, journalist Mark Conrad came across an online blog containing allegations of

1575-469: A joke to begin with; and the claims had been supplied by "two well-known campaigners" he had met. Concerned that police would falsely charge people for actions they had not committed based on his false accusations, "David" voiced the belief that the origins of the investigation needed to be double-checked alongside a re-examination of any case based on elements that "aren't even true". Fourteen months after Operation Midland began, detectives concluded there

1680-436: A large child abuse ring. Much of Beech's co-operation itself was conducted with subtle deceptions on his part: in one case, a detective unwittingly kept Beech apprised of the ongoing raids made against some of the accused after Beech had lied to them that Exaro was working on another piece connected to child abuse. In another case, detectives unknowingly passed to Beech questions he was to have answered in their inquiries, in

1785-654: A list of public figures that he said victims had told him had stayed at the Elm Guest House. The list included former government ministers, senior MPs , top police officers, judges, pop music stars, and people with links to the Royal Households . It was uploaded to the internet. In the aftermath of the Jimmy Savile sexual abuse scandal in October 2012, Labour MP Tom Watson said in the House of Commons he had evidence that there

1890-659: A method for making sure that Panorama personnel would not be in a position to say that Neil had refused to speak".) The programme was vetted prior to transmission by the BBC's lawyers, by the Head of Currents Affairs Television, and by the Chief Assistant to the Director General, Margaret Douglas. Two of the MPs named in the programme (Hamilton and Howarth) sued the BBC and the programme-makers. The Director-General, Alasdair Milne, reviewed

1995-418: A number of patients being repeatedly punched, kicked, slapped, pinned down and given cold punishment showers – then left outside in near-zero degree temperatures. Local social services and the national regulator had received various warnings but the mistreatment continued. One senior nurse three times contacted the national regulator saying he wanted to talk about "abuse" – but heard nothing back. The hospital

2100-427: A paedophile, child abuser, child murderer." He also added that for those affected, it had been the "worst things that can be said of a human being." Watson himself had to apologise to Lady Brittan for his comments against her husband, while police were forced to apologise to Martin Allen's family for mistakenly claiming that he had been murdered by the group based upon Beech's false claims. Despite Hogan-Howe backing

2205-562: A possible cover-up amongst the British establishment, including the disappearance of significant documents concerning potential abuse cases. Not knowing Beech's dismissed claim of 2012 in Wiltshire meant that detectives unwittingly supported Beech in making a fraudulent claim for compensation in connection to the Savile scandal, Beech received around £22,000 from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority . Toward

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2310-493: A potential case of historic abuse, created by Carl Beech – a Wiltshire man born Carl Stephen Gass in 1968, who assumed the surname of his stepfather, a military officer, after his parents divorced and his mother remarried. Conrad made contact with Beech to discuss his blog and its contents, in which he was given detailed allegations by Beech about abuse he claimed he had suffered from a group of powerful men, including his stepfather, during his youth. During meetings with him, Conrad

2415-746: A procedure for dealing with child sex abuse scandals within the Catholic Church . It was enforced for 20 years by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger before he became the Pope . It instructs bishops on how to deal with allegations of child abuse against priests . Critics claim the document has been used to evade prosecution for sex crimes . Panorama investigated claims that as much as $ 23 billion (£11.75 billion) may have been lost, stolen or not properly accounted for in Iraq. The United States Department of Justice has imposed gagging orders that prevent discussion of

2520-587: A regular presenter. The programme also airs worldwide through the international feed of the BBC News channel in many countries, and domestically via the UK feed . Panorama was launched on 11 November 1953 by the BBC ; it emphasises investigative journalism . Daily Mail reporter Pat Murphy was the original presenter, who only lasted one episode after accidentally broadcasting a technical mishap. Max Robertson then took over for

2625-559: A search of his home within Newcastle upon Tyne , where he now resided, for documents and evidence, detectives made a full check of the evidence he had supplied to the Metropolitan Police, and requested access to his school and medical records. Their findings confirmed that the serious allegations that Beech had made were completely false, and had wasted police time and resources: unpublished works of fantasy he had written showed that Beech

2730-409: A specific offence suffered whilst at Elm Guest House" and that no prominent person had ever been conclusively identified as having abused a child there. In July 2014, Exaro began publishing articles in which Carl Beech, then known publicly under the pseudonym "Nick", falsely accused prominent men of having abused him. Four months later, Beech told Operation Fairbank detectives that he had been abused by

2835-553: A survey of those who emailed the programme. Anonymous findings from the 239 responses were sent to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The second Panorama programme on Seroxat, "Emails from the Edge", included a report of the survey to which the 239 people responded. It showed widespread experiences of suicidal feelings and other severe reactions, very bad withdrawal symptoms and lack of warnings from doctors. After

2940-479: A third was eliminated to intimidate the other abuse victims – in which he supplied the names of two individuals whom he stated had been murdered by the group: Vishal Mehrotra , whose abduction and the subsequent murder in the early 1980s remained unsolved, and Martin Allen , whose disappearance was documented in the late 1970s. Metropolitan Police deemed Beech's accounts "credible and true", though what he told them turned out to be entirely false. In November 2014,

3045-586: A year. The programme originally had a magazine format and included art features. In September 1955, when Richard Dimbleby took over as presenter, it got the subtitle Window on the World . He presented the show until his death in 1965. His son, David Dimbleby , later presented the programme on 11 November 1974—the 21st anniversary of the show. Other past presenters include: Sir Robin Day , Sir Ludovic Kennedy , Sir Charles Wheeler and Jeremy Vine . On 13 December 2010, it

3150-571: Is needed to achieve change." The prime minister responded saying he was "appalled" at the "catalogue of abuses" Panorama had revealed. In June 2011 the Association of Supported Living[30] issued a press statement, which was followed up in writing to every member of parliament in the United Kingdom, calling for community-based assisted living services to replace institutional services for people with learning disabilities. The national regulator,

3255-559: The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC). Based upon these investigations and findings, Beech was arrested, with the NSPCC, in the wake of his arrest, stripping him of his role and commitments to their organisation. Whilst on bail, Beech failed to appear at Worcester Crown Court for trial and fled to Sweden in 2017, evading capture for two months by residing in

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3360-458: The BBC when the trial opened on 13 October 1986. Hussey nevertheless spoke with the BBC's barrister, Charles Grey. Hussey says in his memoirs that "Grey thought it unlikely the BBC would win". Sir Charles Grey disputes this statement, saying that "my junior and I both thought the case was winnable". The first four days of the trial were given over to opening statements from Hamilton and Howarth and their lawyers, which received wide press coverage. On

3465-454: The BBC's own legal advice, and that of his Chief Assistant, and declared the programme to be "rock solid". The Board of Governors (Chairman Stuart Young) also gave their backing for the programme to be defended in court. Stuart Young died in August 1986, two months before the libel case against Panorama came to trial. A new chairman, Marmaduke Hussey, had been appointed but had not formally arrived at

3570-462: The CQC did a nationwide check on facilities owned by the same company – as a result, three more institutions have been closed. The CQC also inspected 132 similar institutions and a Serious Case Review was commissioned – some of the roughly ten local and national enquiries were carried out to examine what went wrong, including one by NHS Southwest which was one of the first to be published and list many of

3675-657: The Continent. The programme was based on an internal Conservative Party report compiled by Phil Pedley, Chairman of the Young Conservatives. Panorama confirmed its status with a senior Conservative Party vice chairman. The report was formally presented to the Party in the week before the programme was aired. During the making of the programme, attempts to contact some of the named MPs for comment were unsuccessful. (Hamilton's wife Christine later described how "Neil and I had devised

3780-637: The Home Secretary, on the police". However, the decision by the IOPC to excuse detectives, and thus not prosecute any officer for their mistakes in Operation Midland, were heavily criticised by Proctor and several politicians – they believed the IOPC had failed in not pursuing charges on possible misconduct in order to maintain that detectives acted in "good faith" with their investigations. Henriques himself noted that, despite his findings and general acceptance of

3885-451: The Metropolitan Police announced a large-scale investigation, codenamed Operation Midland, into Beech's claims. The Met recruited a taskforce of detectives and experienced officers, led by Detective Superintendent Kenny McDonald, to handle the investigation, and modelled the operation after Operation Yewtree , a similar investigation conducted by police that had investigated several VIPs over child abuse allegations. Once Operation Midland

3990-414: The Metropolitan Police began to drop the charges against each member of the accused, saying that they would take no further action against them, before eventually shutting down the police operation. With no sufficient evidence being uncovered or credible witnesses being located by detectives working within Operation Midland, and growing criticism that the investigation was becoming a baseless "witch-hunt",

4095-722: The abuse he claimed he had been subjected to at various locations, including the Elm Guest House , the Dolphin Square apartment block in Pimlico , the Carlton Club , and various other locations in the Home Counties . Most concerning for detectives were Beech's claims that he, alongside a number of other child victims of the group, had been witness to three murders – Beech claimed that two children were killed for sexual pleasure, while

4200-457: The acceptance of a victim's allegations with the objective need to investigate such claims. In response to the findings made in the report, Hogan-Howe admitted that, in his opinion, the mistakes and errors that occurred during Operation Midland stemmed from an over-reaction to "apparent mistakes back in 2012 relating to revelations of very serious and serial child abuse, a mixture of public outrage and propaganda" which "put immense pressure through

4305-753: The accusations against the accused – the homes of both Bramall in Yorkshire and Proctor on the estate of Belvoir Castle , in Leicestershire, were searched in March, while the home of Lord Brittan was raided six weeks after his death, with computers, hard drives and documents removed for examination. Despite a search for abuse victims connected to the allegations made by Beech, no credible individuals could be found by police. Shortly after Beech's claims of abuse were announced by Metropolitan Police, another accuser came forward to make further accusations against Lord Brittan and statements of witnessing two murders committed by

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4410-433: The accused, as being "close to evil" based on Beech's accounts. Conservative politician Zac Goldsmith spoke out in support of the allegations against Lord Brittan, while former Labour politician John Mann compiled a dossier of his own, containing allegations against 22 high-profile individuals, which he passed on to police. By 2015, police were conducting extensive searches for documents and articles that could support

4515-680: The actions of the Metropolitan Police, and voiced support for, amongst other things, providing anonymity to suspected abusers until sufficient evidence had been found. In regards to those accused and investigated by the police, Henriques made it clear in his findings that the men had been "all victims of false allegations" with it firmly noted that the "presumption of innocence appears to have been set aside." The IOPC made clear that, from these mistakes uncovered, future public accountability and reassurances needed to be addressed by British police, with recommendations for possible audio recordings of court hearings for search warrants and renewed efforts to balance

4620-443: The allegations against them; Proctor himself learnt from his solicitors that the allegation against him included claims that he had stabbed a 12-year-old boy before strangling him to death. He then held a press conference afterwards to give the public details of the police's accounts of the claims, along with the names of those accused on similar charges. Appeals were sent out for further information and witness reports in regards to

4725-548: The allegations in 2013 but Fay was dis-invited before the meeting after concerns were raised about his reliability. After the meeting, Watson was warned about the reliability of the accusations. In July 2014, a journalist from Exaro introduced Watson to Carl Beech , who falsely accused Brittan and others of abuse. Watson wrote to the Director of Public Prosecutions to reopen a separate rape investigation into Brittan that police had previously closed after finding no evidence to support

4830-467: The allegations of child abuse and possible homicide , alongside any other potential activities of a similar nature that could have taken place near the Houses of Parliament between the 1970s and 1980s. Alleged contemporaneous incidents across London and at military establishments were also placed under investigation. Public support for the case was increased by the influence of Labour politician Tom Watson ,

4935-512: The allegations. US and other media have reported little on this issue. In a programme broadcast in 2010, Jane Corbin investigated what really happened on the ship MV Mavi Marmara , when Israeli commandos seized the ship as part of the blockade of Gaza . Abbas Al Lawati, a reporter for Gulf News , who was on the Mavi Marmara during the Gaza flotilla raid , criticised Panorama' s reporting of

5040-482: The anti-depressant Seroxat (paroxetine / Paxil): "The Secrets of Seroxat" (2002); "Seroxat: Emails from the Edge" (2003); "Taken on Trust" (2004) and "Secrets of the Drug Trials" (2007). "The Secrets of Seroxat" elicited a record response from the public as 65,000 people telephoned the BBC helpline and 1,300 people emailed Panorama directly. The major mental health charity Mind collaborated with Panorama in

5145-445: The belief they were actually talking to a friend of his through an e-mail address Beech had supplied to them. Detectives subsequently found that Beech himself was a prolific child abuser who was already under investigation for a number of child sex offences, including voyeurism and making and possessing indecent images of children. These offences took place whilst he was co-operating with Operation Midland and simultaneously working for

5250-532: The broadcast users/survivors and Mind protested outside the offices of the MHRA. On 29 January 2007, the fourth documentary of the series about the drug Seroxat was broadcast. It focused on three GlaxoSmithKline paediatric clinical trials on depressed children and adolescents. Data from the trials show that Seroxat could not be proven to work for teenagers. Not only that, one clinical trial indicated that they were six times more likely to become suicidal after taking it. In

5355-546: The case in September 2015 on grounds of insufficient evidence. Suffolk Police's decision to drop the accusations of "Darren" led to detectives within Operation Midland to question the justification of launching the probe into the twelve men based only on the words of Beech's accusations. Their concerns were further increased after another accuser – hidden under anonymity with the name "David" – admitted to detectives that he had been falsely claiming that he had been abused by some of

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5460-434: The case were lifted, allowing him to be publicly identified. In May 2019, Beech was placed on trial at Newcastle Crown Court , but denied the charges against him, continuing to pursue claims that his allegations were true despite the evidence to the contrary. The motives attributed to his actions varied, and were determined to be a mixture of a need for money – Beech had debts due to his spending habits – and his desire for

5565-418: The claim and "glaring inconsistencies" in the accuser's account. Police ultimately decided that Brittan would face no further action but he was never told he would not be charged before his death in January 2015. After Brittan's death, Watson wrote a newspaper column in which he quoted Beech, calling Brittan "as close to evil as a human being could get". In an edition of Panorama broadcast on 6 October 2015,

5670-470: The claims, and an inquiry into the police investigation afterwards concluded that the people involved had been falsely accused, leaving them dealing with considerable damage to their lives and reputations. A report of the inquiry's findings found that detectives and officers within the operation's taskforce had committed several errors during the course of their work, and made calls for more effective checks on allegations and accountability by police. Following

5775-649: The documentary recorded Nazi salutes and FC Metalist Kharkiv fans violently assaulting a group of Asian students at the Metalist Oblast Sports Complex, one of the stadiums hosting matches in Ukraine. Panorama filmed former England defender Sol Campbell watching these clips, and then asked him whether he would recommend families go to the Championship. He responded: "Stay at home, watch it on TV. Don't even risk it… because you could end up coming back in

5880-399: The end of Operation Midland's lifespan, police had begun to doubt Beech's allegations. Beech began to distance himself from the Metropolitan Police, cancelling interviews and withdrawing his further co-operation with detectives. On 2 November 2016, the Metropolitan Police contacted Northumbria Police to investigate Beech over a possible charge of perverting the course of justice. Alongside

5985-465: The evening of the fourth day the BBC's Assistant DG Alan Protheroe informed the BBC's legal team and the named defendants that the Governors now wished to settle the case immediately. This prevented the BBC's defence from being put to the court, or known to the public. Hamilton and Howarth were each awarded £25,000 in damages. Costs amounted to £240,000. They dropped their case against Phil Pedley. There

6090-423: The far north of the country, using multiple aliases: an extensive manhunt led to his capture and subsequent extradition back to Britain. In July 2018, after extensive interviews with detectives over his unsubstantiated claims, Beech was charged with twelve counts of perverting the course of justice and one count of fraud, alongside the child sex offences he had committed. In December, the reporting restrictions in

6195-699: The findings of Henriques's report into the operation's conduct, including the need for anonymity protection for those accused until sufficient evidence was provided to support allegations against them, charities supporting victims of abuse and British policing voiced clear concerns that Operation Midland had created uncertainty amongst abuse victims, stating that the entire operation's conduct, and its subsequent revelation that it had been based on false information, had left genuine victims likely to question if police would consider their claims credible enough to investigate. Watson remained adamant in support of abuse victims coming out against their abusers, though his own conduct

6300-406: The future deputy leader , who had campaigned in support of investigations into historic abuse. Watson had met with Beech prior to the start of the operation in regards to his Exaro story, and remained in contact with him as the operation began, showing his support of Beech's allegations by accusing the named men; when interviewed about the matter, Watson publicly spoke out against Lord Brittan, one of

6405-497: The group. Although given anonymity and referenced by detectives under the name of "Darren", the Metropolitan Police questioned the validity of the claims, and eventually determined them to be potentially false. Despite this line of inquiry no longer being feasible to pursue, the claims of "Darren" were passed over to Suffolk police to further investigate. Detectives in Suffolk interviewed six people under caution before eventually dropping

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6510-454: The hospital and missed warnings. Mencap published a report warning that similar abuse could be going on elsewhere and calling for the closure of all large institutions far from people's families. The film has also won a number of awards including the RTS Scoop of the year and a BAFTA. The Daily Telegraph said, "It is impossible to read the details of what went on at Winterbourne View,

6615-488: The internet but did not uncover the alleged paedophile ring. A full criminal investigation, Operation Fernbridge, was launched as a result of allegations that arose from Operation Fairbank. Operation Fernbridge investigated allegations concerning both Grafton Close children's home and Elm Guest House. Two men connected to the Grafton Close children's home: Tony McSweeney, a Catholic priest from Norwich, and John Stingemore,

6720-444: The internet: in particular, sketches he supplied to the Metropolitan Police were found to be photocopies of those that had been already published, rather than original drawings, while his murder allegations were influenced by his research of online media stories surrounding the death of Vishal Mehrotra and the disappearance of Martin Allen , which led to published journalistic speculation that these two cases may have been connected to

6825-511: The investigation. The police investigation known as Operation Fairbank was an umbrella inquiry first set up under conditions of secrecy in November 2012. The Independent on Sunday reported that it focused on claims of sexual abuse and the grooming of children, involving parties for men at the former Elm Guest House. Police also investigated historic allegations from the Grafton Close Children's Home. Operation Fairbank caused much speculation on

6930-430: The living suspects (Bramall and Proctor) and Brittan's widow. In May 2019, Beech was placed on trial, charged with 12 counts of perverting the course of justice and one of fraud, which he denied. Before his trial started, Beech pleaded guilty to child pornography offences. Beech had been viewing, downloading and creating child abuse images during the same period in which he had been lying to police. On 22 July 2019, Beech

7035-543: The matters being investigated. It is not in my character or my psyche." Public support for the investigation eventually began to wane after Proctor held a press conference to denounce the police's operation and the allegations against himself and the others, and further after the findings of both the Panorama investigation and those conducted by the Daily Mail . Over the course of three months in 2016, between January and March,

7140-443: The media is not going to encourage others to speak out". Proctor called on Hogan-Howe to resign in the midst of the calamitous police operation, stating that Operation Midland "has had a disastrous effect on genuine complaints of child sexual abuse, both present and historical. I think it has been incredibly counterproductive ... And when they established the truth – some time ago I think – they were too afraid of each other and

7245-421: The media to pull the plug." For the Metropolitan Police, the cost of belatedly investigating Beech's allegations was severe. Over the eighteen months that Operation Midland was in effect, detectives spent over £2 million; when it was clear that false allegations had been made, further costs were incurred – the investigation into Beech's allegations, handled by Northumbria Police , added a further £900,000, while

7350-470: The men stated in Beech's accusation, including Lord Brittan. Journalists for the BBC investigation series Panorama , investigating the inquiry, interviewed "David" over his revelation to police, when it came to their attention. The accuser's actions to come clean to police were derived from personal guilt over their false claims – the accuser had never met the people he named; his accusations were made as merely

7455-437: The men who attended the party are not known and have been the subject of much speculation in subsequent years. By 2012, The Independent described the house as a "conspiracy theorist's dream". Carole Kasir died in 1990 at the age of 47; an inquest found that the cause of death was suicide due to an overdose of insulin . In 1990, according to journalist James Hanning, Chris Fay, a Labour councillor, convicted fraudster and

7560-460: The mistakes made, the inquiries made by the IOPC had been "flawed". The overall impact of Beech's allegations created considerable damage towards the lives of the men investigated by police. For some, the damage ruined their reputations and their trust with the police; in Harvey Proctor 's case, the false claims effectively cost him his home and his job. But the emotional cost of the allegations

7665-498: The organisation as a "cult". At one point during an interview, the presenter lost his temper with the Church's international spokesman; an edited portion of this incident was released subsequently by the Church on YouTube and DVD in an attempt to publicise it and raise controversy. However, the 2007 Scientology episode was Panorama' s greatest audience since it moved to Monday evening. A follow-up programme, The Secrets of Scientology ,

7770-562: The others. The head of the Care Quality Commission resigned ahead of a critical government report, a report in which Winterbourne View was cited. Eleven people plead guilty to criminal offences of neglect or abuse as a result of evidence from Undercover Care and six of them were jailed. Immediately after the eleventh person pleaded guilty, the Serious Case Review was published, revealing hundreds of previous incidents at

7875-430: The police were forced to compensate both Lord Bramall and Lady Brittan, at a cost of £100,000, for illegally entering their homes for documents and evidence without possessing a legal warrant. Proctor, who had been affected considerably by the investigation, lodged a lawsuit against the Metropolitan Police for compensation over their behaviour against him. One of the significant errors detectives made in Operation Midland

7980-493: The princess, for the use of highly dubious methods. The Earl, who introduced Bashir to his sister, rejected the apology and demanded an inquiry. Former Justice of the Supreme Court John Dyson, Lord Dyson conducted an independent inquiry into the issue. Dyson's inquiry found Bashir guilty of deceit and breaching BBC editorial conduct to obtain the interview. One of the most controversial broadcasts of recent time

8085-485: The programme, Panorama revealed the secret trail of internal emails which show how GlaxoSmithKline manipulated the results of the trials for its own commercial gain. Access to the documents has been gained as GlaxoSmithKline fights a fraud trial in the US. Some of these previously secret Glaxo documents featured in the programme were leaked into the internet after the programme's broadcast. On 19 September 2006 Panorama showed

8190-476: The pseudonym of "Nick" to conceal his identity, as is common practice for protecting victims of abuse from their abusers. Conrad's story was picked up by detectives in the Metropolitan Police , who made requests to see his source, and agreed to allow the journalist to attend their initial meeting with Beech upon Conrad arranging for him to come forward. In these meetings, Beech gave full, detailed accounts of

8295-514: The raid in the documentary, "Death in the Med", stating that it was either a result of "weak journalism" or "deep bias". Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire , who had also participated in the Free Gaza flotilla, has also accused the programme of a "lack of truth" and "bias" in a letter to the BBC, describing its effects on the families of those who died as a "grave injustice". "The BBC Trust has ruled that

8400-514: The report into Operation Midland, Hogan-Howe was forced to personally apologise to some of the victims of the investigation for their treatment, including Bramall, Lord Brittan's widow, and Proctor. Proctor later commented about the impact of the investigation on those falsely accused stating that: "I do believe it is profoundly un-British and unfair....I believe I have been pilloried and the Met Police service has enabled me to be wrongly depicted as

8505-458: The reporting of the inquiry's findings, the Metropolitan Police were forced to make apologies to those who had been accused and to compensate them financially. The disastrous outcome of the operation further eroded the organisation's reputation, already impacted by government pressure to improve its handling of abuse cases. It was concluded that, as a consequence, genuine victims of abuse might be discouraged from coming forward. The inquiry's handling

8610-511: The rumours about her personal life. The programme's filming and planning was subject to extreme secrecy, with Richard James Ayre , the Controller of Editorial Policy, authorising a series of clandestine meetings between Bashir and Diana. It became known a quarter century later that Bashir had used journalistically unethical practices in gaining the interview. In late 2020, the BBC director general Tim Davie apologised to Earl Spencer , brother of

8715-511: The secret upper-level doctrines of the Church of Scientology , and featured an animated retelling of the Xenu incident of Scientology doctrine. On 14 May 2007, an episode titled Scientology and Me was broadcast. The journalist John Sweeney presented the edition, showing how the Church reacted to his journalistic investigations, including its reaction when he stated to members that some people describe

8820-615: The then-Metropolitan Police commissioner, Bernard Hogan-Howe , made a personal apology to the innocent parties involved. In May 2019, Beech, who was himself found to be a child sex offender, was placed on trial, charged with perverting the course of justice and fraud, which he denied. Beech was found guilty and sentenced to 18 years in jail in July 2019. The three-storey Elm Guest House was in Rocks Lane, close to Barnes Common in southwest London. It had eight guest rooms, and its facilities included

8925-466: The then– Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police , Bernard Hogan-Howe , ordered in February 2016 for an immediate inquiry into the operation to be conducted, a month before its conclusion. Retired judge Sir Richard Henriques headed the inquiry by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) to determine the overall conduct of officers and detectives during Operation Midland. An extensive check

9030-434: Was a "powerful paedophile network linked to Parliament and Number 10". Watson made his comments after having been passed information from the investigative news website Exaro . With the public upset that Jimmy Savile was never properly investigated over his alleged crimes, the Metropolitan Police launched Operation Fairbank as a scoping exercise to examine Watson's claims. Watson set up a meeting with Fay and others to discuss

9135-516: Was a fantasist who amused himself by playing out fantasies of being a victim of violent child abuse, enjoying the attention it would bring him, with little heed for the consequences and the damage it would cause. Many of the claims surrounding the abuse Beech had purported to have endured, and the effect it had had on his life, were contradicted by the records accessed by detectives, while many areas of his account were based upon various ongoing and closed abuse cases that he had extensively researched on

9240-481: Was announced that the programme would be relaunched during the new year with no regular presenter. Panorama set an example for the German magazine series of the same name , which is produced by Norddeutscher Rundfunk , and broadcast by Das Erste . Panorama started there in 1961 and is one of the leading political magazine shows. The original theme music was an excerpt from Pelléas et Mélisande by Sibelius , which

9345-405: Was broadcast on 28 September 2010, presenting proof that the Church had harassed Sweeney during the making of the earlier documentary, with the specific intention of making him react in the way he eventually did. The episode also included numerous interviews with former high-ranking members of the organisation who had been subject to harassment. Since 2002, Panorama has made four programmes about

9450-599: Was controversy over the editing of the programme: it juxtaposed shots of Howarth wearing a train driver's uniform at a steam railway enthusiasts' rally with the claim that he had attended a fascist meeting in Italy , suggesting that the uniform he was wearing was a fascist one. Arguably the best known Panorama programme of all was the 1995 interview of Diana, Princess of Wales by Martin Bashir , which occurred after her separation from Charles, Prince of Wales , when she openly discussed

9555-504: Was criticised by some of the accused in Operation Midland. The perpetrator of the false allegations, Carl Beech, later investigated for perverting the course of justice , was himself found to have been a child abuser, and was eventually arrested and charged for his actions. In July 2019, he was found guilty and sentenced to 18 years in prison. In the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal in 2012, police were facing mounting pressure to investigate any and all cases of child abuse, particularly of

9660-399: Was far greater in magnitude, both for the accused and their families, in their fight to deny and defend the accusations against them from both the police and media coverage. For some, the cost was made more severe – some of the accused and relatives of those named, died during the course of the operation, and would never know that the accusations by detectives would be dropped. In the wake of

9765-472: Was followed a few years later by a composition by Robert Farnon entitled "Openings & Endings". From 1968, an extract from Rachmaninov's Symphony No.1 in D Minor, 4th Movement was used, followed in 1971 by an adaptation of Francis Lai 's Aujourd'hui C'est Toi ("Today It's You"). The latest version was arranged in 2023 by Bojan Andic. In 1955, Panorama filmed Christopher Mayhew taking mescaline under medical supervision. The resulting programme

9870-593: Was found guilty of making up the Westminster VIP paedophile ring. He was jailed for 18 years on 26 July. Panorama (TV series) Panorama is a British current affairs documentary programme broadcast on the BBC . First broadcast in 1953, it is the world's longest-running television news magazine programme. Panorama has been presented by many well-known BBC presenters, including Richard Dimbleby , Robin Day , David Dimbleby and Jeremy Vine . As of 2022 , it broadcasts in peak time on BBC One , without

9975-547: Was insufficient evidence and no credible witnesses to support the continuation of investigations against the accused. The statements of those interviewed by police who had worked with the accused provided no support for the accused having been abusers during the 1970s and 1980s, and subsequent interviews with the accused revealed total denial of the accusations made against them: Proctor denied being part of any "rent-boy ring" or attending sex parties with prominent figures, while Bramall denied having "a connection or anything to do with

10080-439: Was made into several areas, including how thoroughly police had looked into the allegations they had received from Beech, the treatment detectives had given to those accused by him, and the manner in which evidence had been acquired. Henriques' findings, released in his report in November 2016, uncovered several errors that the Metropolitan Police had made in their investigations, amongst which were: Henriques's report condemned

10185-646: Was married to his mother for only a few months before they divorced, and, shortly afterwards, retired from the army on mental health grounds. Prior to Operation Midland, Beech had continued to put forth claims that he had been abused, including appearing in a short-lived documentary series concerning the possible male victims of Savile's abuse, in order to support his allegations. He then turned to online blogs to spread his false claims: by 2014, he had become obsessed with public attention to potential historic abuse cases and their impact within British society, paying particular attention to rising conspiracy theories surrounding

10290-615: Was never broadcast, though the footage and transcripts were later released. Panorama broadcast a famous hoax film about the harvesting of the spaghetti crop on April Fool's Day , 1957. Broadcast on 4 May 1955, Malcolm Muggeridge talked with Salvador Dalí , the Spanish surrealist artist. In January 1984, Panorama broadcast an episode which claimed that three Conservative MPs ( Neil Hamilton , Harvey Proctor and Gerald Howarth ) had links to far-right organisations both in Britain and on

10395-456: Was placed under considerable doubt after further inquiries deemed that he had pressured officers extensively to investigate Beech's claims without realising that he was being misled. When the Panorama exposé was due to be broadcast in 2015, Metropolitan Police became "worried that this programme and other recent reporting will deter victims and witnesses from coming forward in future. Seeing an individual make allegations and then be targeted by

10500-516: Was shut down. On 21 June 2011, 86 people and organisations wrote to the Prime Minister, David Cameron about the revelations, "We are aware of the various actions currently being taken within and outside government – such as the DH review and CQC internal enquiry. We hope to make submissions to those both individually and collectively. However, on their own these will not be enough and a clear programme

10605-413: Was taken to various locations and given accounts of what Beech had allegedly been made to endure between 1975 and 1984 at each site. Conrad made further confirmation about his abuser's identities, by supplying photos to Beech for him to identify those he had named. Conrad posted his inquiries into the blog and its allegations in a story for the investigative journalism website Exaro , providing Beech with

10710-600: Was the "Who bombed Omagh?" programme, which named those suspected of involvement in the Omagh bombing . Deputy Assistant Commissioner Alan Fry of Scotland Yard 's anti-terrorist unit SO13 said that the Real IRA attack on the BBC Television Centre could have been a revenge attack for the broadcast. In 1987, the Panorama programme Scientology: The Road to Total Freedom? for the first time exposed on broadcast television

10815-515: Was to assess Watson's claims. As a result of allegations arising from Operation Fairbank, a full criminal investigation called Operation Fernbridge was launched in February 2013. No evidence of abuse connected to the Elm Guest House was uncovered, and the operation was closed in March 2015. Another investigation, Operation Midland , was set up to examine claims of possible murders. A subsequent inquiry found that those investigated by Operation Midland had been victims of false allegations. In November 2016,

10920-400: Was to fully accept the allegations made by Carl Beech without objectively investigating the credibility of his claims. As the operation began to reach its conclusion in March 2016, the taskforce began to re-check the accounts given by Beech, and slowly began to unravel his deception. Unknown to the Metropolitan Police at the time he made his allegations, Beech had previously attempted to submit

11025-725: Was under way, the police began their focus on the men whom Beech had implicated as being members of a VIP child abuse ring – amongst those he had named included the former Members of Parliament Harvey Proctor and Lord Janner , the former Home Secretary Lord Brittan , former Prime Minister Edward Heath , former Chief of the Defence Staff Lord Bramall , the former Director of the Secret Intelligence Service Maurice Oldfield , and former Director-General of MI5 Michael Hanley . All were subsequently informed they were under investigation regarding

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