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VIP paedophile ring fantasist Carl Beech granted almost £180,000 in Legal Aid, FOIs reveal

Beech , 51, was found guilty last month of 12 charges of perverting the course of justice and one of fraud at Newcastle Crown Court last month. He was jailed for 18 years and has since lodged an appeal against his conviction and sentence.    - PA
Beech , 51, was found guilty last month of 12 charges of perverting the course of justice and one of fraud at Newcastle Crown Court last month. He was jailed for 18 years and has since lodged an appeal against his conviction and sentence. - PA

The VIP paedophile ring fantasist has received almost £200,000 in Legal Aid, new figures reveal, as officials admit that the total sum could continue to rise.

Beech , 51, was found guilty last month of 12 charges of perverting the course of justice and one of fraud at Newcastle Crown Court last month. He was jailed for 18 years and has since lodged an appeal against his conviction and sentence.

The serial liar who fabricated “cruel and callous” lies of an establishment paedophile ring as well as a string of lurid claims that high-ranking officials tortured, abused and murdered children, prompted a £2.5million Metropolitan Police inquiry.

However, it can now be reported that the fantasist has been granted almost £180,000 in Legal Aid. Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act revealed the amount of money which Beech was granted in order to clear his name.

The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) figures, obtained by the Sunday Sun, the regional Sunday paper on sale in north east England,  reveal that the former NHS manager was granted £178,479 for barrister fees during his Newcastle Crown Court trial, as well as over £1,400 in legal aid solely for legal representation at a police station.

That sum also included over £470 in solicitor's fees for a police interview where Beech - who is a "committed and manipulative paedophile" - blamed his own son for downloading indecent images.

The MOJ admitted that the figures could continue to rise. "As these matters have only very recently concluded, the billing process has not yet completed," a spokesman for the government department said. "Claims for payment are made in arrears once a trial has been finalised."

Beech’s allegations also resulted in raids on the homes of Field Marshal Lord Bramall, the widow of Lord Brittan, and the former Conservative MP Harvey Proctor.

He also wielded allegations against former Prime Minister, Sir Edward Heath, the former home secretary Leon Brittan, the ex-MI5 chief Sir Michael Hanley, the late Labour MP Lord Janner, as well as the former Tory MP Harvey Proctor, among others. All of his claims were later accepted as completely false.

Beech was sentenced to 15 years jail for perverting the course of justice and a further 18 months for fraud after he claimed compensation for being an alleged victim of a crime. He was given an additional 18 months after pleading guilty at an earlier court hearing to paedophile charges that included making indecent photographs of children and a charge of voyeurism.

The Met claims to have spent £2.5million investigating Beech’s allegations before the case collapsed in 2016. The force opened its investigation into the claims, known as Operation Midland, in 2014 and declared that Beech's claims of murder, rape and torture by public figures were "credible and true".

Beech was formerly known as ‘Nick’ - an alias given to him to protect his identity while his claims were investigated.