Former British PM caught up in child sex abuse claim
A former prime minister was drawn into the complex web of historic child sex abuse allegations in Britain Monday, when the police watchdog announced an investigation involving 1970s leader Edward Heath.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said it would investigate a claim from a retired senior policeman that prosecution of a person accused of child sex abuse in the 1990s was dropped when they threatened to expose Heath.
The former leader of the centre-right Conservatives was prime minister between 1970 and 1974, leading Britain into the European Economic Community in 1973 after a referendum. He died in 2005.
While the IPCC’s investigation is into alleged historic corruption rather than whether Heath committed a crime, it is the first time so a senior figure has been named in connection with such claims.
The probe is separate to a major, judge-led inquiry into child sexual abuse in British institutions such as the BBC, the National Health Service, children’s homes and schools that was opened last month.
“It is alleged that a criminal prosecution was not pursued when a person threatened to expose that Sir Edward Heath may have been involved in offences concerning children,” an IPCC spokesman said.
The IPCC will also investigate whether officers with Wiltshire Police in western England subsequently took any steps to investigate the claims about Heath’s actions.
“Sir Edward Heath has been named in relation to offences concerning children,” Wiltshire Police said in a statement that noted the former premier resided in a local city.
“He lived in Salisbury for many years and we would like to hear from anyone who has any relevant information that may assist us in our enquiries or anyone who believes they may have been a victim.”
There has been a surge of complaints about child sex abuse since BBC presenter Jimmy Savile was exposed as a prolific and predatory paedophile after his death in 2011.
British police said in May they had received allegations of historic child sex abuse against 261 public figures, including 76 politicians.
The inquiry led by a judge into allegations of paedophilia in institutions has cited estimates that around one British child in every 20 has been sexually abused.
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5 Comments
Nigerian Guardian, is too much to ask that we also launch investigation into the historical activities of the missionaries in Nigeria as they were left solely incharge of children in our communities? There are serious allegations here(UK) and in the Republic of Ireland from where most of these came in relation to inappropriate sexual relations with with children. If Ted Heath can be named by this piece, who was a respected British PM, what is it in what I have written that caused your cencorship?
Please remember that the Republic of Ireland has recently voted to allow ‘same-sex marriage’ just as it is here in the UK. Is there a hidden aggender in all of these moves here in Europe and elsewhere, to normalise deviant sexual behaviours of this type and possibly others in the future?
Please remember that the Republic of Ireland has recently voted to allow ‘same-sex marriage’ just as it is here in the UK. Is there a hidden aggender in all of these moves here in Europe and elsewhere, to normalise deviant sexual behaviours of this type and possibly others in the future? Then ask yourselves whether one of the outcome of these public desencitasation is to prepare all to accept sexual deviants that can eventually extend to pedophilia? I read incesantly of grandfather Nigerians marrying 13yr olds. Is this part of the Europeand creativity to eventually want to say that they could extrapolate to all forms of sexual deviations? Ted Heath was a single man and he was held in the highest esteem by most Brits and foreigners here in the UK in his personal spat with Mrs Thatcher (both late). I’ll now for the benfit of Nigerian Guardian, should we not be asking the authorities in Nigeria to clear the air of doubt about the activities of the missionaries in Nigeria?
During the investigations, here it is alleged that when a priest was accused of inpropper behaviour, they were often sent other parishes and missions as punishment. A leopard cannot change its spots and many pedophiles are known reoffenders. How many of these excommunicated priest came Nigeria and can anyone in their right mind say for certain that these priests were all pius in the behaviours towards our children?
Please Guardian act responsibly and don’t sit on the fense on this issue. For me, I attended a mission school from Primary to Secondary (inclussive) and luckily, I was taght in by Nigerains throughout until I attended Federal School of Science in Lagos by which time, I was a full adult, so was not exposed to these excommunicated priests.
Leave the irish people alone pls. They are a nice people
Woh!!! My best friend is Irish and I am not and did not mean to tar the Irish at all. Far from it. There were and probably still some Irish victims of the Catholic Order of priests who shielded offending priests through the excommunication in the vane hope that that will cause a change of behaviour. I was in the Republic in May and you can believe me when I say that the church there is palpably treated with contempt. The church continues to enjoy wide patronage in Nigeria, but it is only a matter of time before Nigerians too will turn away from that nonesense.
We will review and take appropriate action.