A retired general who was named by Harvey Proctor as being part of an alleged paedophile gang has said he was not a suspect in any investigation.
Sir Hugh Beach, one of seven men named by the former Conservative MP at a press conference on Tuesday, said he had been interviewed by the Metropolitan police but “not in any sense as a suspect”. He said that the force had confirmed that “no allegations of any kind have been made against me”.
The disclosure will increase scrutiny on Mr Proctor’s decision to name himself and a string of establishment figures as being accused of conspiring to commit child abuse.
The families of some of those named, more than half of whom are dead, were not warned of the press conference.
Mr Proctor claimed that he was the victim of a “homosexual witch-hunt” by Operation Midland, a police inquiry into allegations that politicians and Whitehall figures abused children.
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He said that a man given the pseudonym Nick had accused him of involvement in the murder of two boys, indirectly implicated him in a third killing and also accused him of rape, torture and other sexual assaults.
Mr Proctor, who denies wrongdoing, told a press conference that the alleged child abuse gang was also said to have included Sir Hugh, 92, a former master-general of the ordnance; Lord Brittan of Spennithorne, the former home secretary; Sir Edward Heath, the former prime minister; Sir Maurice Oldfield, the former head of MI6; and Sir Michael Hanley, the former head of MI5.
Sir Michael died in 2001. His children, Sarah Pittman and Peter Hanley, said in a statement: “Until this morning we knew of no alleged investigation by the Met into allegations against our father. Our father was a decent loving principled family man — these are unfounded allegations from an anonymous source and as such have no effect on our father’s good name.”
Some of the alleged ring members were unaware of any allegation of conspiracy against them until Mr Proctor’s claims, it is understood.
Sir Hugh told The Times that he had never met any of the men mentioned, except for Lord Bramall “who is an old and close friend”. He is understood to be a witness in Lord Bramall’s case.
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Sir Hugh issued a statement that said: “The police have confirmed that, despite what has been reported in the press, no allegations of any kind have been made against me. In connection with their investigations, the police have interviewed me on one occasion, but not in any sense as a suspect.”
Drew Pettifer, Lord Bramall’s solicitor, has said that his client “always and continues to vehemently deny the allegations and has no connection or dealings with Harvey Proctor”.