UK & World News
- 9 November 2012, 17:53
Lord McAlpine Denies Sex Abuse Allegations
Tory peer Lord McAlpine has said allegations linking him to alleged childabuse are "wholly false and seriously defamatory".
After days of speculation, the peer released a statement vehemently denying that he abused Steve Messham or any other residents of a children's home in North Wales.
He said he had visited Wrexham "only once" and that was in the company of an agent from Conservative Central Office.
He also said that he was willing to meet police to discuss the allegations and said that his accuser was guilty of "mistaken identity".
Prime Minister David Cameron told Sky News it was now vital that people did not "bandy" names around in connection with the abuse, without proper evidence.
A statement from Lord McAlpine read: "I have never been to the children's home in Wrexham, nor have I ever visited any children's home, reform school or any other institution of a similar nature.
"I have never stayed in a hotel in or near Wrexham, I did not own a Rolls Royce, have never had a 'Gold card' or 'Harrods card' and never wear aftershave, all of which have been alleged.
"I did not sexually abuse Mr Messham or any other residents of the children's home in Wrexham."
Lord McAlpine said that "ill- or uninformed commentators" had used the internet to suggest he was the senior Tory figure at the centre of the allegations.
The allegations relate to sexually abusing young residents of a children's home in Wrexham, North Wales, in the 1970s and 1980s.
He said that a "substantial number of people" may have "reasonably inferred" that broadcast and newspaper reports of allegations against unnamed individuals referred to him.
"Even though these allegations made of me by implication in the broadcast and print media, and made directly about me on the internet, are wholly false and seriously defamatory I can no longer expect the broadcast and print media to maintain their policy of defaming me only by innuendo," he said.
"There is a media frenzy and I have to expect that an editor will soon come under pressure to risk naming me.
"My name and the allegations are for all practical purposes linked and in the public domain and I cannot rewind the clock.
"I therefore have decided that in order to mitigate, if only to some small extent, the damage to my reputation I must publicly tackle these slurs and set the record straight.
"In doing so, I am by no means giving up my right to sue those who have defamed me in the recent past or who may do so in the future and I expressly reserve my rights to take all such steps as I and my solicitors consider necessary to protect my interests."
Update:
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what do you think?
joelle cooke
would he admitted, if he did? probably not !!!!
Gavin Cole
It's been floating around the Internet for many years now along with rumours of a former prime minister.
peter
Which former Prime Minister is this then? Can you tell us - I've not heard that rumour.
gengisken1227
Prime Minster(s) actually, one PM had a yacht, one other allegedly accepted a fine for importuning in a gents toilet when a young barrister and the other one was scottish
andy johnson
the crays used to get one pm young lads
Vladtheinhaler .
Krays
t.bulgin
Oooh, it's on the internet, must be true then.
leslie lee
yes gengisken........... not forgetting the long line of party leaders and their associates brown nosing in the queue
TIM x
Probably on Scholfield's list given to David Cameron. Scholfield should be sacked immediately for that I find it outrageous. A person is innocent until proven guilty by a court of law in this country not convicted by internet. Is it any wonder parents don't allow their children out to play anymore and we have a generation of kids growing up on computer games?
Angharad Fennell
If I may just say tho, weren't the poor parents of little April torn apart my people saying they shouldn't have let her play outside her house?
TIM x
Sorry I stand by what I say. Parents in their country are developing a "bad guy on every corner" mentality. What happened to April was awful yes of course but the situation is not helped by idiot tv presenters giving lists of people to the prime minister!! There have to be boundaries set for children to play safely within of course I'm not saying little ones should roam miles from home but we are turning paranoid. I have had young children run up to me whilst playing but you dare not speak to them or laugh or anything or the next thing you know your collar will be felt!!
Tricky One
Yep I agree with everything you've said Tim. Although "we are turning paranoid" - i would say for the most part we have already turned. For many the fear is well and truelly here already..
katie
Do you not think Scholfield did it out of fustration we all know there is going to be a cover up they can arrest JS Chauffeur and his mate quick enough then claim it has nothing to do with Saviles investigation funny no Masions have been questioned about anything yet if i was Phillip i would have done the same what he is saying is we the the people want action.......
Kerry Carline
Totally agree katie and people slam other people that had suspicions and heard rumours for not saying anything for years.phil schofield heard a rumour albeit electronic rumour but none the less.maybe he felt it was his duty to do what he did.any1 person that is being named should be checked out if it's an outright accusation.innocent great,guilty they should be punished.
Dave Harrison
Katie/Kerry. Your comments concerning suspicions without evidence are starting to look a little shaky now girls
TIM x
Bingo! Just proves my point entirely! Rumours and suspicion are not EVIDENCE. It leads to vigilanteism and loss of reputations when a man can be totally innocent as Mcalpine was!!
Michael Hawkins
Tricky one Although the fear is there the risk to children is no greater than it was 50 years ago, and then allowing your children to roam free was the norm The media has created this fear - unfortunately a child abduction is good for the media who will milk it for every column inch or second of viewing time they can get What a sad world we have become where good new is not considered worth of column inches yet some ones mis-fortune can be milked for every penny
Michael Hawkins
Katie / kerry you obviously would be happy for the media to publish in your local paper that you are hookers from your stance on this forum
david
why where they not investigations on child abuse.when people were coming out and saying priests and clergy in the 60s and 70s were at this.THIS QUESTION MUST BE ASKED,,
Nigel L
The Compo culture hadnt been imported from the USA in the 60/70's
Mark Hussey
So aney man who is single is a kiddy fidler god help aneyone who is g.most of wot is on internet is made up.inersent until proven in a law coart.atlest it should be.not gilty by media
Martin Beadle
what? in english please
TIM x
If he is innocent then surely swift legal action MUST follow.
Gordon Wright
If Lord McAlpine does decide to take legal action, it may help to prevent other spurious allegations from surfacing.
katie
From what i can gather a lot of the kids were taken to meet the abusers at other locations' i doubt if a lot of the people who's names have been banded about would have been to Wrexam' This blokes name has not been on the Internet so why has he come forward or was he a friend of a friend you know what i mean?
Mick Daniel
Wasn't a catholic by any chance?
david
This comment has been removed for violations of our Terms and Conditions.
david
This comment has been removed for violations of our Terms and Conditions.
david
This comment has been removed for violations of our Terms and Conditions.
Dave Harrison
Check out the BBC news page people. Messham has already retracted his allegations and made a grovelling apology. This is exactly why allegations like those made by Philip Schofield should not be aired on national TV
Para999Tom
i hope the peer sues him now for defamation. he hasn't done himself any favours will anybody now believe anything he says ?
Gordon Wright
Absolutely correct Dave, It makes you wonder just how many of the allegations made against other well known people are also suspect......
Dave Harrison
Gordon. That is the danger. People who were abused are less likely to be believed once chancers like this guy put in the threepennorth.
Jim Ford
"Messham has already retracted his allegations" Wouldn't you retract your allegations, true or otherwise, if you were threatened by a wealthy and powerful person? How much would Messham have to spend on a libel case, as opposed to the other party who would have millions?
t.bulgin
No Jim, I wouldn't, not if i was telling the truth. Plenty of rich people get jailed.
Jim Ford
"No Jim, I wouldn't, not if i was telling the truth." It would be a libel case and you'd be strongly advised to retract your allegation, true or false. How much money do you have to fight a protracted libel case against a multi millionaire. You'd end up losing your car, house and everything in legal costs! "Plenty of rich people get jailed." Not in libel cases. You'd have to prove your case first and then the CPS might consider a criminal charge. Like I said, would you have the financial resources to go the distance?
t.bulgin
Unlike messham, i wouldn't make the allegations without proof. So, with the proof you go to a news paper and the rest is down to them. There isnt a paper in he land that would turn down that opportunity. So, I stand by my statement. "No Jim, I wouldn't, not if i was telling the truth. Plenty of rich people get jailed" Also we are not talking about a case of libel, we are talking about a case of child abuse, your getting mixed up. Remember gary glitter, hes rich and he got jailed.
Jim Ford
"Also we are not talking about a case of libel" At the moment we are. The accused is threatening (and many on this forum are wanting) a civil libel case.
TIM x
Just heard on the news that the person who made these claims has admitted he got the wrong person. I rest my case. Innocent until proven guilty as I said before. This man tried and convicted on the internet! Which is why scholfield must go for his stupidity
Grant Berry
linch mob on here, innocent till proven guilty ! Makes me ashamed of the uk public
Vladtheinhaler .
Schofield must forfeit his job, and i'm no supporter of Cameron, but he was dumped on.
Kerry Carline
Good
Dave Harrison
Grant. Reasoned argument has no effect on the mentality of the lynch mob. They want to hang em high and sort out the minor details like evidence & proof later
blue side
Dave see you speak sense and out come the knives as said pack instincts rule
t.bulgin
Well said Vlad, I know how hard it is to speak up for someone that you generally dissagree with.
Mick Daniel
I am also ashamed of the UK public who disgust me
leslie lee
always be very suspicious of those that "protest too much "over an allegation
Michael Hawkins
Would the BBC been so keen to broadcast this this if it had been a senior Labour Party member ? At the time senior labour members together with pdfile groups were trying to reduce the age of consent to 14 Harriet Harman, the Opposition deputy leader, said the allegations that the late TV and radio presenter abused dozens of young boys and girls had "cast a stain" on the BBC and other trusted institutions. But at the time Savile was at the height of his fame, Miss Harman was calling for the relaxation of the law on child pornography. She was a leading light in the pressure group now known as Liberty, which advocated the lowering of the age of consent to 14. The organisation, then run by the Health Secretary under Tony Blair, Patricia Hewitt, even counted among its affiliates a number of extreme pro-paedophilia groups whose leaders were later jailed.
t.bulgin
OMG Michael, I had forgotten about this, exactly what these weirdo's like harman would have wanted. I have said in previous posts that I believe the BBC couldn't contain themselves when they thought they had a tory to publicly execute, hence the mistakes. So, no, I don't think they would have reacted the same way had it been a labour peer. As for blair being involved in that disgusting episode, I don't take much notice, he was just trying to be popular with harman and hewitt.
blue side
Perhaps we are now seeing the facts about many of the claims being made and the dangers associated with trial by media - I hope Lord McAlpine sues the the perpetrator and those who published the story not just for himself but all those who are going to be drawn in to this witch hunt.
Jim Ford
" I hope Lord McAlpine sues the the perpetrator and those who published the story." Yeah, easily done when you've got millions at your disposal. Not so easy to defend yourself against such a suit if you don't have such assets!
t.bulgin
In that case Jim, you better make sure of what your saying in the first place. Being skint is not an excuse for potentially destroying someones reputation and bringing misery on them and their family.
Jim Ford
You really don't get it, do you 't.bulgin'? The point I'm making is that it doesn't matter what the truth is. With one person's word against another in a civil libel court, the 'truth' will be determined by the party with the biggest bank balance!
leslie lee
you are totally correct of couse jim ford ! those that advocate that the "courts" will give the correct result are mostly those that live in cloud cuckoo land . those with no money are given the "law" whilst those that have money buy their own "justice" and thus exoneration from their crimes
leslie lee
This comment has been removed for violations of our Terms and Conditions.
Para999Tom
11:39am on 9/11/2012
i havn't read anywhere that this person is being accused of child abuse. am i missing something here ?
Diane Rogers
12:05pm on 9/11/2012
Maybe. the man who accused thougt he was a mp the one all the speculation has been about personally I don't believe it
Diane Rogers
12:13pm on 9/11/2012
Sorry didn't think I had sent it so did it again silly billy arnt I
Diane Rogers
12:14pm on 9/11/2012
Sorry didn't think I had sent it so did it again silly billy arnt I
Para999Tom
1:10pm on 9/11/2012
well i hope whoever made this accusation is sure of their facts otherwise, from the tone of the peers reply, he will sue whoever's responsible, and who would blame him.