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MPs to question Tom Watson and senior officers on Brittan case Lord Brittan rape interview unlawful, says officer
(about 3 hours later)
Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson, as well as senior police officers and prosecutors, are to be questioned by MPs about their conduct in relation to abuse allegations against Lord Brittan. The Metropolitan Police acted unlawfully by interviewing former Home Secretary Lord Brittan about rape allegations, a senior officer has said.
The former Conservative home secretary died in January unaware that police had dropped a rape inquiry against him. Det Ch Insp Paul Settle told MPs that the case against the politician "fell at the first hurdle" in terms of the evidence presented.
The Metropolitan Police has apologised to his widow and said another force would review its handling of the case. He questioned the "legal grounds" for the decision to question Lord Brittan under caution in May 2014.
Mr Watson has faced calls to apologise for his public pursuit of the case. He also criticised Labour MP Tom Watson's conduct in the case.
The Labour MP, who was elected deputy leader last month, will appear before the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee at about 15:15 BST. The former Conservative peer died in January unaware that police had dropped a rape inquiry against him. The Metropolitan Police has apologised to his widow and said another force would review its handling of the case.
Director of public prosecutions Alison Saunders and a number of police officers, including Det Ch Insp Paul Settle, head of the Met's anti-paedophile unit, will give evidence separately.
The Crown Prosecution Service found in July 2013 that there was not enough evidence for a prosecution over the claim that Lord Brittan had raped a 19-year-old female student in 1967 but the case was reopened less than a year later.The Crown Prosecution Service found in July 2013 that there was not enough evidence for a prosecution over the claim that Lord Brittan had raped a 19-year-old female student in 1967 but the case was reopened less than a year later.
Watson letter 'No reasonable grounds'
Officers interviewed Lord Brittan, who was suffering from terminal cancer, in May 2014, but no charges were brought.Officers interviewed Lord Brittan, who was suffering from terminal cancer, in May 2014, but no charges were brought.
A month earlier, Mr Watson had written a letter to Ms Saunders calling for a full review of all abuse allegations made against the peer. Although it was widely publicised in the media, the letter was passed to police only on 2 June, after the former home secretary was questioned. A month earlier, Mr Watson had written a letter to the director of public prosecutions Alison Saunders calling for a full review of all allegations made against the peer.
Mr Watson has refused to apologise for his role in the Brittan case, telling MPs earlier this month that he was right to demand that guidelines were adhered to and said abuse survivors had been "belittled for too long". Although it was widely publicised in the media, the letter was passed to police only on 2 June, after the former home secretary was questioned.
Appearing before the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, Det Ch Insp Settle, who headed the original investigation, said he disagreed with the decision to reopen it, having concluded there were "no reasonable grounds" to suspect an offence had been committed and the peer had no case to answer.
He said he briefed Mr Watson, a longstanding campaigner on exposing sexual abuse, about the case and the reasons for his decision in February 2014 as part of a continuing dialogue he had with the MP.
He said he was "disappointed" when he discovered that Mr Watson had subsequently contacted the Crown Prosecution Service to urge the case to be reviewed, describing it as a "low blow". The decision to reopen the case was a "direct result" of the MP's letter, he suggested.
He went on to question "the legal grounds" for interviewing Lord Brittan under caution, suggesting that it may have contravened the Police and Criminal Evidence Act.
"I concluded that any action against Lord Brittan would be grossly disproportionate and would not have a legal basis as in order to interview him we would have to have had reasonable grounds to suspect that an offence had been committed," he said.
The police officer also suggested he had been removed from the Brittan case, and stripped of any involvement in sexual abuse inquiries, because of the stance that he had taken over the issue. Asked by committee chairman Keith Vaz what he was doing now, he replied "not a lot".
Mr Watson, who will give evidence to the home affairs committee later, has refused to apologise for his role in the Brittan case, telling MPs earlier this month that he was right to demand that guidelines were adhered to and said abuse survivors had been "belittled for too long".
The MP, who as a backbencher led parliamentary calls for a public inquiry into child abuse allegations against public figures, has been criticised by Conservative MPs - one of whom said he had appointed himself "witchfinder general".The MP, who as a backbencher led parliamentary calls for a public inquiry into child abuse allegations against public figures, has been criticised by Conservative MPs - one of whom said he had appointed himself "witchfinder general".
Earlier this month, the Met published the key findings of a report into the handling of the Brittan case.Earlier this month, the Met published the key findings of a report into the handling of the Brittan case.
It revealed investigating officers told the complainant in April that there would not have been a prosecution for rape had Lord Brittan still been alive - a move which a Met spokesman says was "premature", as the CPS did not confirm it would not pursue the case until June.It revealed investigating officers told the complainant in April that there would not have been a prosecution for rape had Lord Brittan still been alive - a move which a Met spokesman says was "premature", as the CPS did not confirm it would not pursue the case until June.
However, Lord Brittan's legal team were not told at the same time as the complainant was. Scotland Yard said it had delayed telling the peer when he was alive because the CPS had been asked to carry out a final review of the case.However, Lord Brittan's legal team were not told at the same time as the complainant was. Scotland Yard said it had delayed telling the peer when he was alive because the CPS had been asked to carry out a final review of the case.
The Met has accepted that Lord Brittan's solicitors should have been informed at the same time as the complainant. The Met has accepted that Lord Brittan's solicitors should have been informed at the same time as the complainant and that, as a result, it would ask another force to carry out a review of its handling of the case "to ensure it was thorough, properly conducted and to identify good practice".
'Helpful updates'
Relatives of people who die while under investigation would not normally be contacted after their death and would not be told what the outcome would have been, or whether charges would have been brought, it said.
But the Met said it recognised that the public interest in the case required "a different approach" and that, as a result, it would ask another force to carry out a review of its handling of the case "to ensure it was thorough, properly conducted and to identify good practice".
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe is abroad and will not attend Wednesday's hearing although Assistant Commissioner Patricia Gallan and Deputy Assistant Commissioner Steve Rodhouse will appear.Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe is abroad and will not attend Wednesday's hearing although Assistant Commissioner Patricia Gallan and Deputy Assistant Commissioner Steve Rodhouse will appear.
An independent public inquiry into child abuse started work last year, although it has faced a series of setbacks after its first two proposed chairs were forced to quit before taking up their duties and one of its panel members stood down.An independent public inquiry into child abuse started work last year, although it has faced a series of setbacks after its first two proposed chairs were forced to quit before taking up their duties and one of its panel members stood down.
Keith Vaz, the Labour MP who chairs the home affairs committee, said the public inquiry - now chaired by Judge Lowell Goddard - remained the "most appropriate channel" for criminal allegations to be examined and Wednesday's hearing would not cover operational matters.
He added: "Our evidence session is therefore intended as a continuation of the regular series of very helpful regular updates which the committee received from the Metropolitan Police in the last Parliament and to hear evidence on a particular case."