In 2014, Carl Beech, a former nurse, claimed his stepfather, Raymond, an army major, had sexually abused him as a child in the 1970s and 80s, ferrying him to parties attended by the former prime minister Sir Edward Heath, the former home secretary Leon Brittan, the former chief of the defence staff Lord Bramall, the ex-MI5 chief Sir Michael Hanley and the former Tory MP Harvey Proctor, among others.
Amid political pressure following the police’s failure to bring Jimmy Savile to justice before his death, Scotland Yard began to investigate in earnest. Operation Midland was launched. Several million pounds later, it became clear the allegations were false and Beech has been jailed for perverting the course of justice. The Guardian’s Simon Murphy discusses following Beech’s story with Anushka Asthana.
And: The Guardian’s Shaun Walker on the possible poisoning of the Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny
Photograph: Julia Reinhart/Getty Images
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