World

Edward Heath abuse claims: Four forces investigating ex-PM

August 4, 2015 6:16 pm

Four police forces are investigating claims of historical child sexual abuse involving former PM Sir Edward Heath.

The Met, Wiltshire, Kent and Jersey police forces are conducting separate investigations involving the late MP.

The BBC understands Wiltshire Police halted an inquiry into a brothel keeper in the 1990s after she said Sir Edward was involved in child sexual abuse.

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The Sir Edward Heath Charitable Foundation said it was confident he would be cleared of any wrongdoing.

‘Case dropped’

The BBC’s home affairs correspondent Dominic Casciani says claims made by the female brothel keeper, that the former PM was a client, meant that she had left herself open to prosecution.

However, the case against her was allegedly discontinued between 1990 and 1995.

The woman, whose identity is known to the BBC, was later convicted of controlling prostitutes after a successful prosecution by Wiltshire Police.

She was jailed for six years after a trial which included allegations that she had supplied children as young as 13 to her clients.

It is unclear whether or not the force then went back to re-investigate the woman’s original allegations against Sir Edward after she was convicted – and this is now part of a corruption inquiry by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.