The Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, has denied his force’s investigation into allegations of a murderous Westminster paedophile ring is a “shambles”.
In his first public remarks on Operation Midland, Hogan-Howe did, however, say that detectives had found it difficult to corroborate some of the allegations of a key witness known as “Nick”.
He told LBC radio on Wednesday: “We will do whatever we need to do to get to the bottom of this. It’s taken a while to get this far but the trouble with these inquiries is often the victims and witnesses don’t have total recall of the information, the detail of the offence, and clearly we have struggled at times to corroborate with such a passage of time some of the things that have been said.”
Scotland Yard has faced pressure over the handling of Operation Midland, its investigation into allegations that Conservative politicians murdered three boys as part of a Westminster-based paeodphile ring 40 years ago.
The force has faced particular scrutiny after a senior investigating officer described Nick’s allegations as “credible and true” at the outset of the investigation last December.
Asked by LBC presenter Nick Ferrari about its “credible and true” blunder, Hogan-Howe conceded it had given the wrong impression but added: “It’s not a shambles at all. For the sake of one word, it’s very unfair … for the sake of one word – that’s what it boils down to. Look at the quality of the investigation, not on the one word.”
Hogan-Howe, Britain’s most senior police officer, quashed reports that the force wants to close down Operation Midland and said detectives were determined to get to the bottom of the case.
“We’re doing our best to verify the claims of the various complainants and the various witnesses,” he said.
“These are not easy cases … sometimes witnesses are abroad, they don’t always want to talk to us about it, and sometimes they have limited recall and it’s hard at such a distance to rely on things like forensic evidence. As long [ago] as it is, we will get to the bottom of it.”
Pressed on whether he believes there was a Westminster-based paedophile ring, as has been alleged, Hogan-Howe said: “I don’t think we know yet.”
Investigations into historical allegations contain “so much that’s difficult to unpick”, he added, with “some twists and turns” that are vital to the outcome of the case.
Hogan-Howe’s comments came after Harvey Proctor, the former Tory MP who has been interviewed under caution by Operation Midland detectives, claimed police were preparing an “exit strategy” for the inquiry.
Referring to a Scotland Yard statement on Monday that resiled from its earlier description of Nick’s allegations as “true”, Proctor told the Guardian: “Yesterday’s confused public relations statement by Scotland Yard marks the beginning of what I believe is their exit strategy from Operation Midland.”