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| Former royal aide cleared of abuse calls for sacking of Met chief | Former royal aide cleared of abuse calls for sacking of Met chief |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| A former aide to the Duke of Edinburgh who was cleared of historical sex offences says he felt “like a lamb to the slaughter” during the case. | A former aide to the Duke of Edinburgh who was cleared of historical sex offences says he felt “like a lamb to the slaughter” during the case. |
| Lt Col Benjamin Herman, 81, was acquitted last year of abusing a girl in the early 1970s, when she was aged around 11 or 12 and he was working as equerry to Prince Philip. | Lt Col Benjamin Herman, 81, was acquitted last year of abusing a girl in the early 1970s, when she was aged around 11 or 12 and he was working as equerry to Prince Philip. |
| He said his family went through “absolute hell” after he was arrested in February 2013. | He said his family went through “absolute hell” after he was arrested in February 2013. |
| Related: Operation Midland: how the Met lost its way | |
| He spent 27 months on bail before eventually being cleared by a jury in less than an hour following a trial at Blackfriars crown court in London. | He spent 27 months on bail before eventually being cleared by a jury in less than an hour following a trial at Blackfriars crown court in London. |
| Herman said he believed police “thrive off VIPs” and were determined to prove their worth after the Jimmy Savile revelations by bringing cases against high-ranking officials and celebrities. | |
| His comments come as the Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, faces mounting criticism over the force’s handling of Operation Midland and historic sex abuse cases. | His comments come as the Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, faces mounting criticism over the force’s handling of Operation Midland and historic sex abuse cases. |
| Speaking at a conference in central London, Herman said: “I fought for my country, I’m very privileged to have worked for the royal family and I love my country. | Speaking at a conference in central London, Herman said: “I fought for my country, I’m very privileged to have worked for the royal family and I love my country. |
| “Justice has always been a major part of our national identity, we are known throughout the world for justice in Great Britain. | “Justice has always been a major part of our national identity, we are known throughout the world for justice in Great Britain. |
| “I’m sorry to say that my experience of the Metropolitan police has made me feel extremely sad because there is no justice.” | “I’m sorry to say that my experience of the Metropolitan police has made me feel extremely sad because there is no justice.” |
| Lord Bramall, the former head of the army, and former Conservative MP Harvey Proctor have both been told they will not be charged after spending many months under suspicion over allegations of a VIP sex abuse ring made by a complainant known as Nick. | Lord Bramall, the former head of the army, and former Conservative MP Harvey Proctor have both been told they will not be charged after spending many months under suspicion over allegations of a VIP sex abuse ring made by a complainant known as Nick. |
| Herman attacked what he described as the Met’s macho culture and called for Hogan-Howe to resign. | Herman attacked what he described as the Met’s macho culture and called for Hogan-Howe to resign. |
| He said: “The police live and thrive off VIPs, there is this enormous tranche of VIP allegations. And they have made cock-up after cock-up after cock-up, which the commissioner of the Metropolitan police had failed to take charge of. If someone can’t run their unit, or their ship, you sack him and put someone else in. | |
| “And I firmly believe he should be sacked. You lack moral courage if you can’t put your hand up and say ‘I’m sorry, I made a cock-up.’” | |
| Herman, from Hook in Hampshire, was accused of sexually abusing a young girl four times at his home in south-west London or a nearby garage. | Herman, from Hook in Hampshire, was accused of sexually abusing a young girl four times at his home in south-west London or a nearby garage. |
| During his trial it was alleged that he boasted about his links to the royals and drove the young girl to Buckingham Palace in his VW camper van. His accuser said she confided in her friend about the alleged abuse 20 years ago, but went to police only after the Savile scandal in 2012. | |
| Herman said the first he knew of any complaint came in a “tiny little letter” which landed on his doormat on 28 February 2013. It mentioned an “allegation of assault” and asked for a meeting at a “mutually convenient time and place”. | |
| He had no idea how serious the allegations were or that he could have been arrested and said police led him “like a lamb to the slaughter”. | He had no idea how serious the allegations were or that he could have been arrested and said police led him “like a lamb to the slaughter”. |
| What followed was two and a half years of being repeatedly bailed and rebailed as his case dragged on before finally ending in a week-long trial. “I was on bail for 27 bloody months, 18 months without even being charged, during which time my family was going through absolute hell,” he said. | |
| “I knew I was innocent, I’m a big boy, I’m a Royal Marine I’ll take them on. But with regards to the family and my four daughters, that was not funny.” | “I knew I was innocent, I’m a big boy, I’m a Royal Marine I’ll take them on. But with regards to the family and my four daughters, that was not funny.” |
| In the meantime, the police used his unblemished career in the marines as a reason to arrest him, Herman said. “When I was arrested the police officers said, ‘First of all, he is a Royal Marines officer, and because of his intense training he will know how to go abroad and to go undercover.’ | |
| “At the time I was 79 years old. So I was going to take my knapsack on my shoulder and go abroad. It is just out of this world. And that was the reason they gave for arresting me.” | “At the time I was 79 years old. So I was going to take my knapsack on my shoulder and go abroad. It is just out of this world. And that was the reason they gave for arresting me.” |
| He says it was many months before police interviewed his family to discover if they had any evidence relating to the allegations. | He says it was many months before police interviewed his family to discover if they had any evidence relating to the allegations. |
| Looking back, he believes he was a victim of a “witch-hunt” and warned that the stigma surrounding sex assault allegations tarnishes the accused for life. He wants the use of pre-charge bail strictly curbed, and for those who are accused of sex crimes to have anonymity until conviction. | |
| Herman was speaking at the annual conference for the British False Memory Society, a charity which campaigns about false memories, particularly in sexual abuse allegations. | Herman was speaking at the annual conference for the British False Memory Society, a charity which campaigns about false memories, particularly in sexual abuse allegations. |