Yahoo News Major police review recommends dropping policy of automatically believing 'victims'
An alleged fantasist known as Nick, gave five different accounts of VIP abuse to the police, but was still regarded as "credible and true", it has emerged, as a review recommends dropping the policy of automatically believing "victims".
But that policy is now expected to be dropped after a string of allegedly malicious complaints were made against high profile people including politicians and celebrities.
Scotland Yard's disastrous Operation Midland - which was launched when ‘Nick’ claimed a VIP paedophile ring had raped and murdered boys in the 1980s - eventually closed without a single arrest having been made.
But a report by the College of Policing has revealed that Scotland Yard believed Nick, even though he gave detectives five different accounts of his alleged ordeal in six months.
The information was contained in a redacted report published by retired High Court judge, Sir Richard Henriques, but was revealed for the first time in the College of Policing review.
Assistant Commissioner Rob Beckley, who carried out the review, has now recommended that forces drop the policy of automatically believing complainants.
While the current policy reads: “The intention is that victims are believed”, he suggested it should be changed to state: "The intention is that victims can be confident they will be listened to and their crime taken seriously."
The decision to introduce a blanket policy of believing victims was introduced in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal when it became clear that many sex assault victims, particularly children, had not been believed when they had come forward with complaints.
But false allegations, against high profile figures such as, Sir Cliff Richard, broadcaster Paul Gambaccini and D-Day veteran, Lord Bramall, has led for calls for a rethink.
Recently the Met Commissioner, Cressida Dick, signalled a change of approach by her force, but the national policy remains in place.
A College of Policing spokesman said the review would need to go forward for consultation with victims’ groups and chief officers, before any final policy decision was made.
But Mr Proctor, who lost his job and his home following the false claims against him, said the victims of malicious complaints should also be consulted.
He said: “While I of course welcome this recommendation, it is long overdue. I am also very concerned that the College of Policing have interviewed lots of people regarding this policy, but they have not bothered to interview people like Sir Cliff Richard, or Paul Gambaccini or myself, whose lives have been ruined by malicious allegations.”
