By James Simons-
Sir Edward Heath’s name has been damaged after British police revealed that the former prime minister would have been cautioned over historic sex abuse claims, if he was alive today.
Wiltshire Police launched Operation Conifer in 2015 when the former PM was accused of historical child sex abuse.
The Conservative prime minister of the 70’s would have been interviewed under caution over seven claims of sexual abuse. One of them was the alleged rape of an 11-year-old, they said, one of rape of a male under 16, three of indecent assault on a male under 16, four of indecent assault on a male under 14, and two of indecent assault on a male over 16.
The allegations are damaging because of the sheer number of different complaints made against Heath. Most involve paid sex encounters with young boys and girls.
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The earliest, dating from 1961 when Sir Edward was Lord Privy Seal, alleged he had raped and indecently assaulted an 11-year-old boy in London “during a paid sexual encounter in private in a dwelling.”
The Sir Edward Heath Foundation called the report “profoundly unsatisfactory”, but the multiplicity of the claims against Sir Edward Heath during his political years, especially as an Mp, have inevitably put a strong cloud of suspicion over the demised former prime minister. Those allegations can never be proven, but police said two of the complainants had been cautioned for wasting police time, and three complainants had been genuinely mistaken in naming Heath as their attacker.
The alleged attacks took place over a 30 year period. In 1961, Sir Edward allegedly raped and indecently assaulted boy, 11, during a paid sexual encounter in private in a dwelling. The next year, he allegedly indecently assaulted a ten year-old-boy during a chance encounter in a public place
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Two years later, in 1964, Sir Edward Heath allegedly indecently assaulted a 15-year-old boy during three paid sexual encounters in Sussex and London. In 1967, Guernsey, Sir Edward allegedly indecently assaulted a 15-year-old boy in a public building . In Jersey,76, Sir Edward allegedly indecently assaulted, over clothing, an adult male at a public event. Then in1992, Wiltshire Sir Edward allegedly assaulted an adult male after consent was withdrawn in a hotel
Finally, between 1990-1992 in Wiltshire, Sir Edward Heath, allegedly indecently assaulted a male, aged between 12 and 14 years, in private gardens.
So many allegations against the same person makes it unlikely in the eyes of most people, that all of them can be totally untrue. Yet, the legal principle of presumption of innocence until proven guilty stands even with the overwhelming appearance of guilt in the face of so many accusers. Why so many individuals would make up an allegation against the former prime minister, is difficult to imagine. Could it be a conspiracy to ruin the legacy of the former prime minister who first led Britain into joining the EU? A conspiracy of that nature would involve paying off several individuals who would have to conjure a plausible story to the police.
“All those who knew Sir Edward Heath or worked with him are, without exception, convinced that the allegations of child abuse will all be found to be groundless,” chairman of the Sir Edward Heath Charity Foundation said. Finding allegations against a man to be groundless cannot easily be established without questioning the accused,
Sir Edward, who led a Tory government from 1970 to 1974, died in 2005, aged 89.Operation Conifer – which spanned 14 UK police forces – said a total of 42 claims related to 40 different individuals, with alleged offences from 1956 to 1992 – while Sir Edward was an elected MP.
The report concluded there was not enough information to meet the threshold for interview for 19 of the claims.
Among these were two cases where police said there was reason to suspect the individuals “intentionally mislead” them. One of the two has been cautioned for wasting police time. The intentional misleading may throw up questions as to what the motive was of doing so. In three further cases, the investigation found that those reporting alleged abuse were “genuinely mistaken” in naming Sir Edward as the perpetrator.
As part of the £1.5m investigation, three people unconnected to Sir Edward were arrested for offences related to child abuse, one of whom is still being investigated.
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) has said it would investigate further.
“In regard to the allegations concerning Sir Edward Heath, the inquiry will investigate whether there was any knowledge within Westminster institutions, and if so, what actions were taken,” a spokesman said.
Ahead of the “closure” report’s publication, Sir Edward’s godson said he believed the investigation was flawed, as he called for a judicial inquiry into the police’s handling of the abuse claims.
Lincoln Seligman, who knew Sir Edward for 50 years, said: “If you make a mass appeal for victims you are sure to get them, whether they are legitimate or not.
“A proper investigation should have taken place, but that’s not what happened,” he told Radio 4’s Today programme.
“Our thinking is that he will be completely exonerated but I fear, even if he is, that damage has been done and that seems grossly unfair.”
Following the report’s publication, Mr Seligman told the BBC: “These are still just allegations and I do not believe them.” However, those close to people accused of sexual offences never believe the allegations.
A psychologist who advised detectives claimed the allegations were made by a handful of fantasists.
One of Sir Edward’s closest advisers also told the BBC that the former Conservative leader was “completely asexual”.
Lord Armstrong of Ilminster said he “never felt a whiff of sexuality about Ted Heath, whether it was in relation to women, men or children”.
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