Harvey Proctor says allegations he was part of Westminster sex ring are 'wrong, malicious, false and horrendous'

Harvey Proctor, the former Tory MP, has come face-to-face for the first time with the man who accused him of appalling child abuse and murder telling a jury the allegations are "wrong, malicious, false and horrendous".

The 72-year-old former politician was giving evidence at the trial of Carl Beech who has been accused of making up a series of extraordinary allegations against a string of high profile figures.

Mr Proctor was among those Mr Beech named when he went to police in 2014 claiming to have been subjected to years of rape and torture in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Others he named as alleged members if the VIP paedophile ring was Sir Edward Heath, the former Prime Minister, Lord Brittan, the former Home Secretary and Lord Bramall, the former head of the Army.

At one point he even told detectives he had witnessed Mr Proctor of murdering a young boy during a sex game.

After Mr Proctor took to the witness box at Newcastle Crown Court, Tony Badenoch QC, prosecuting, asked him: "You have been accused of the murder of children and of sadistic sexual offending, what do you say to that?"

The former MP replied: "The allegations are wrong, malicious, false and horrendous."

Following the allegations, Mr Proctor had his home raided and was questioned for hours under caution as part of Scotland Yard’s £2 million Operation Midland investigation.

But the inquiry collapsed with the Metropolitan Police forced to apologise to those who had been falsely accused.

Mr Proctor is the only person directly accused by Mr Beech who is giving live evidence at the trial.

Last year Mr Beech, who his himself a convicted paedophile, was charged with 12 counts of perverting the course of justice and one count of fraud relating to a £22,000 payment he received from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority.

He denies the charges and the trial continues.