In the aftermath of the deeply flawed Operation Midland, which sought to investigate historic child sexual abuse and murder allegations made by Carl Beech against high-profile British citizens, new developments have emerged. Sir Richard Henriques, who conducted a review into the Metropolitan Police’s handling of the operation in 2016, recommended that potential offences of attempting to pervert the course of justice should be considered in the cases of two individuals, referred to as witnesses A and B. He further suggested that another police force should carry out any related investigations.
Earlier this year, a third-party referral containing new information prompted the Metropolitan Police to engage West Midlands Police to examine all relevant material concerning witnesses A and B. The assessment has now been completed, and West Midlands Police concluded that there are reasonable grounds to suspect witnesses A and B may have committed an offence of perverting the course of justice. It was deemed in the public interest to open an investigation into whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed with a prosecution.
