VIP abuse ring accuser refuses to name ‘fellow victim’ who could corroborate claims

The “fantasist” accused of inventing a VIP Westminster paedophile ring has refused in court to fully identify another alleged victim who he said could corroborate his claims.

Carl Beech, 51, said his childhood friend “John” was also sexually and sadistically abused at the hands of powerful figures in the 1970s and 1980s.

But the defendant told Newcastle Crown Court he would not reveal his surname as he did not have his permission to do so.

The divorced father-of-one, from Gloucester, told the Metropolitan Police that politicians, Army top brass and security chiefs operated as “The Group” to ritually abuse children, and claimed they murdered three boys.

He told detectives his friend John, whom he originally gave the pseudonym Fred, may be prepared to substantiate his claims.

The Metropolitan Police made efforts to contact John via Beech and the defendant agreed to act as a go-between.

Beech claimed to have passed on emails from the police to John, and he told the court he helped his friend to set up a secure “Proton” email account based in Switzerland.

Jurors have heard one of 12 perverting the course of justice charges, all of which Beech denies, relates to him setting up a fake email account to pass on false information to the police purportedly from Fred. He also denies a single fraud charge.

Collingwood Thompson QC, defending, asked the defendant, who is giving evidence from the witness box for a third day, if he would tell the court John’s surname.

Beech would not, explaining: “Because I don’t have his permission to do so.”

He claimed to have met John several times, in the UK and abroad, and been regularly communicating with the Los Angeles-based travel consultant while he was speaking to the Metropolitan Police about the ring.

Beech said John did think about coming forward but was concerned about how it would affect him, and in the end he never did speak to detectives.

He said he has had no contact with John since September 2015.

The jury has heard the prosecution claims Beech, who worked as a children’s nurse and was identified in earlier media reports as “Nick”, is a fantasist.

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