VIP Sex Abuse Allegations
The Briefing Room
BBC
4.8 • 731 Ratings
🗓️ 24 November 2016
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
An independent review of police investigations into VIP sex abuse has found 43 police failings - but why did the police drop the ball with so many high-profile cases?
The Henriques Review looked into the police investigations of public figures, including former Home Secretary Lord Brittan, retired army chief Lord Bramall and Harvey Proctor, a former Conservative MP.
Justice Henriques criticises the police for choosing to believe uncorroborated accusations rather than approaching the investigations with an open mind.
Speaking publicly for the first time Lady Diana Brittan tells reporter Alistair Jackson about the allegations made against her husband, the former Conservative minister Leon Brittan and the failure of the police to inform Lord Brittan before he died that no further action would be taken.
He digs deeper into Operation Midland and Operation Vincente: police investigations that spanned several years, costing millions in tax-payers' money, and drew in large numbers of police officers. He speaks to people closely involved and finds out why the Metropolitan Police has now issued apologies.
David Aaronovitch asks how historical sex abuse investigations should be handled and asks if police preoccupation with historic sexual abuse cases is hampering their ability to investigate more recent crimes.
Researcher: Kirsteen Knight Producer: Hannah Sander
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | In this episode of the briefing room, I'll be asking how this hugely publicised police investigation lost its way to such a degree, |
| 0:07.8 | and what lessons this holds for the future of inquiry into historical sexual abuse? |
| 0:13.3 | Joining me here in the briefing room are Alison Levitt QC and David Tucker from the College of Policing. |
| 0:19.9 | Had he been a normal person, a normal member of the public, |
| 0:22.6 | this would never even got as far as it did. |
| 0:24.6 | A senior policeman on the late Leon Britain. |
| 0:30.6 | Four years into this, nobody associated with Leon Britain has actually come forward |
| 0:35.6 | and there's been absolutely nothing come out of it whatsoever. |
| 0:39.5 | Leon Britain's wife, Diana. |
| 0:41.6 | What I'd really like is that what happened to me and Leon, to Lord Bramble, to Harvey Proctor and to others, never happens to anyone else. |
| 0:51.4 | An investigation that destroyed reputations. |
| 0:54.8 | The evidence wasn't there, so law Britain deserved the same protection from the law as the |
| 0:58.9 | normal man in the street. |
| 1:07.8 | Today I'll be asking how this hugely publicised police investigation lost its way to such a degree |
| 1:14.4 | and what lessons this holds for the future of inquiry into historical sexual abuse? |
| 1:20.5 | Joining me here in the briefing room this week are Alison Levitt QC and David Tucker from the College of Policing. |
| 1:27.8 | But first I'm joined by Panorama's Alistair Jackson. |
| 1:31.3 | Alistair, you've been working on this subject for over three years. |
| 1:35.3 | For Panorama, for the report here on Radio 4. |
| 1:38.8 | And now for the briefing room. |
| 1:40.3 | It's been quite a ride from Saville to hear, isn't it? |
| 1:43.4 | Yeah, it really has. |
... |
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