VIP abuse accuser Carl Beech 'lied about having child abuse images'

Carl Beech denies 12 counts of perverting the course of justice and one of fraud

A man accused of inventing a VIP paedophile ring has said he lied about possessing indecent images of children.

Carl Beech, 51, is on trial over claims he was a victim of an alleged paedophile network made up of high-profile figures from politics, the military and intelligence agencies.

Mr Beech, from Gloucester, claims the group sexually abused and murdered three boys in the 1970s and 1980s.

He denies 12 counts of perverting the course of justice and one of fraud.

Mr Beech's allegations led to a £2m Scotland Yard inquiry that ended without any arrests or charges.

Among the people he accused were former prime minister Sir Edward Heath and former home secretary Lord Brittan.

'In denial'

When Northumbria Police raided Mr Beech's home, they found images of serious child sexual abuse on his computers, and that he had videoed a child urinating.

He was charged with five counts of making indecent images of children and one of voyeurism, and was due to appear in court last July.

During his trial at Newcastle Crown Court on Friday, Mr Beech was asked why he initially denied the separate charges involving child abuse images, only to admit the offences when he was about to face an earlier trial.

He replied: "Because I was totally ashamed of what I had done. I couldn't admit it to myself. I was in denial."

The court heard that while he was under investigation he went to Sweden, where he used different names.

He said he wanted to "get away from Beech, especially after the press intrusion", and one of the names he opted for was a family name.

However, he could not explain why he also used another name, saying, "I don't know what possessed me".

He described his decision not to return to the UK to face a court hearing as "a stupid mistake."

He was extradited from Sweden to Britain after he was found following a search by law enforcement agencies.

He also told the court he met Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson in 2014 or 2015, after the MP asked to see him following his allegations.

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During the trial, he refused to fully identify another alleged victim - a childhood friend he called John - who he said could corroborate his claims.

He told the court he would not reveal his surname because he did not have his permission to do so.

The Metropolitan Police attempted to contact John - who Mr Beech previously gave the pseudonym Fred - with Mr Beech agreeing to act as a go-between.

One of the charges Mr Beech faces relates to setting up a fake email account to pass on false information to the police allegedly from John.

Mr Beech said John considered coming forward but was concerned about how it would affect him, so never spoke to detectives. He said he has had no contact with John since September 2015.

The prosecution has claimed Mr Beech - identified in earlier media reports as "Nick" - is a fantasist.

The trial continues.