Sick VIP paedophile ring fantasist Carl Beech has today lost his appeal to have his 18-year prison sentence reduced.
The 52-year-old, who made up a string of false claims about being raped and abused by famous Westminster figures, was today told by a Court of Appeal judge his sentence was ‘fully justified’.
His lawyers had tried to argue the sentence should be cut, as no-one was charged or faced court actions because of his actions.
But prosecutors argued against the appeal, saying his actions had a ‘devastating impact’ on those falsely accused.
Sick VIP paedophile ring fantasist Carl Beech )pictured during one of his police interviews) has today lost his appeal to have his 18-year prison sentence reduced
Beech was jailed at Newcastle Crown Court in July 2019 after he was found guilty of 12 counts of perverting the course of justice and one of fraud.
Beech falsely claimed that he had been sadistically raped and abused by famous Westminster figures in the 1970s and 1980s.
Among those falsely accused by Beech were Normandy veteran Field Marshal Lord Bramall, who has since died aged 95, the late Lord Brittan and former Tory MP Harvey Proctor.
Those he named as supposed ‘abusers’ also included former prime minister Sir Edward Heath, late Labour MP Greville Janner, disgraced TV star Jimmy Savile, and security chiefs Sir Michael Hanley and Sir Maurice Oldfield, who were the heads of MI5 and MI6 respectively.
Beech (pictured) was jailed at Newcastle Crown Court in July 2019 after he was found guilty of 12 counts of perverting the course of justice and one of fraud
In a bid to get the former nurse’s sentence cut, his barrister, Collingwood Thompson QC, told the Court of Appeal today that no-one was charged or faced court proceedings as a result of his actions.
Mr Thompson said the ‘limited nature’ of the appeal focused on the part of Beech’s sentence for the specific charges of perverting the course of justice.
He said: ‘If you look at this case, it lacks one aggravating factor, which is that as a result of the false allegations someone was charged.’
But Tony Badenoch QC, who was the prosecutor at Beech’s trial, told the court the defendant ‘traduced reputations’ of his victims by making ‘the most lurid accusations’.
In his ruling on Tuesday, Lord Justice Stuart-Smith said the reputations of the victims were ‘traduced’ on a national and global scale.
He said victim impact statements showed the ‘devastating impact’ the accusations had, not just on the victims, but on their friends and family.
Dismissing the appeal, he said the factors of the case ‘fully justify’ the sentence imposed by the trial judge, adding that it ‘cannot be argued’ that the sentence was excessive.
Along with perverting the course of justice and fraud, Beech was also originally sentenced for voyeurism and possession of indecent images, which he had previously admitted.
Speaking after the hearing, Mr Proctor said: ‘The decision of the court is excellent and it draws attention to the damage that false accusers can make and is a deterrent to further false accusers in the future.’
In 2014, hospital inspector Carl Beech approached the Metropolitan Police claiming that, as a child, he and others were sexually abused by a group of powerful men, a so-called VIP paedophile ring of MPs and Military Officers that went to the very top of the British establishment.
Backing Beech as a credible source, The Met Police launched Operation Midland in November 2014, aiming to bring Beech’s supposed paedophile ring to justice.
In his ruling on Tuesday, Lord Justice Stuart-Smith at the Court of Appeal (pictured: The Royal Courts of Justice in London) said the reputations of the victims were ‘traduced’ on a national and global scale.
He even claimed to have witnessed one boy’s death at the hands of his so-called group of abusers.
With Beech as their key witness, the Met Police launched their operation, a £2million widespread investigation aiming to bring this elite group of offenders to justice.
As his claims were escalated, the details of Beech’s allegations became more elaborate.
He claimed to police that he had seen three boys killed by the group, including one boy he said was deliberately run over, another who he said was strangled after being raped, and a third who he claimed beaten to death.
But the truth was more shocking than officers could have anticipated, as there was no VIP paedophile ring.
Instead, Beech had fabricated the story, spinning a web of lies, while revelling in the attention.
As the investigation rumbled on, the police struggled to corroborate the information Beech was giving them.
Eventually, the tables were turned on Beech as police started digging into his personal affairs.
In another twist, officers discovered images of child abuse on Beech’s computer as well as disturbing pictures he had drawn.
In May 2019, Beech stood trial and was found guilty of perverting the course of justice, fraud and obtaining child pornography.
He was sentenced to 18 years in prison in July that year.
For Daniel Janner QC, the son of former Labour MP Greville Janner, who was one of the names put forward by Beech, the verdict put to bed years of stress for him and his family.
In a documentary about Beech, called Faking It: Tears of a Criminal, which was released earlier this year. Mr Janner said: ‘When I heard about these allegations about my father, I, along with other members of the family, was so upset that it did have a physical reaction, I vomited when I heard the allegation was made.
‘I told the judge the horrendous affect that these allegations had on my family, and I was pleased to do it in the presence of the jury and Carl Beech himself.
Mr Janner added: ‘He is a manipulative plainly sad but wicked man.’