Westminster paedophile accuser appears in court charged with lying to police
"Nick" is accused of 12 counts of perverting the course of justice and one count of fraud following allegations he made in 2014.
Saturday 20 October 2018 16:04, UK
A man whose allegations sparked an investigation into an alleged Westminster paedophile ring has appeared in court charged with lying to police and fraudulently receiving £22,000 in compensation.
The 50-year-old, known only as "Nick" due to legal reasons, is accused of 12 counts of perverting the course of justice and one count of fraud.
He appeared at Newcastle Magistrates' Court on Saturday.
Nick claimed he had been abused for nine years as a child by a VIP Westminster gang during the 1970s and 1980s in Dolphin Square, a development in west London, and elsewhere.
His claims in 2014 of the existence of the gang led to the establishment of Operation Midland, which saw the homes of figures including Lord Bramall and the late former home secretary Lord Brittan raided.
But the £2.5m Metropolitan Police investigation was closed after no evidence of any wrongdoing was found. No arrests were made.
In September last year, Northumbria Police passed a file to the Crown Prosecution Service which led to Nick being charged.
Chair of the bench Mrs Margaret Hall remanded him in custody to appear at Newcastle Crown Court on 19 November.
He spoke only to confirm his name, address, nationality and date of birth.