Cameron guarantees no prosecutions for child-abuse whistleblowers

Police officers want legal reassurance before going public with information relating to earlier investigations that were dropped

The Guardian, Frances Perraudin, Wednesday 18 March 2015

Tom Watson MP has sought reassurances from the prime minister that
 whistleblowers in the child abuse investigations will get full protection.
Photograph: Rii Schroer/REX

David Cameron has said he doesn’t want to see anybody prosecuted for passing on information to the police about the possible cover-up of a paedophile ring with alleged links to Westminster in the 1970s.

In light of allegations that a police investigation into child abuse by a group of public figures was scrapped due to political pressure, Labour MP Tom Watson asked the prime minister for a “cast-iron guarantee” that police and intelligence officers with information about the accusations be given “full whistleblower protections”.

“I don’t want to see anyone prosecuted for uncovering wrongdoing in this way,” Cameron told MPs in the penultimate session of prime minister’s questions before the general election, saying that both the home secretary, Theresa May, and the attorney general had given reassurances that it is highly unlikely anybody will be prosecuted under the Official Secrets Act.

A Newsnight report on Monday contained claims by a former detective that the late Liberal MP Cyril Smith was arrested in the early 1980s as part of an investigation into suspected sex parties in south London involving teenage boys, but was released hours later.

According to the report, officers were ordered to hand over notebooks and video footage from their investigation shortly after they moved to make arrests and were told they would be violating the Official Secrets Act if they revealed what had happened.

Labour MPs Watson, John Mann and Simon Danczuck say they have spoken to officers involved in the case who want further legal reassurance before going public with information.

“We will do everything we can to get to the bottom of what happened and anybody who is worried about whether people will be prosecuted under the Official Secrets Act for coming forward with information should be reassured by the assurances given by the attorney general and home secretary,” Cameron told MPs on Wednesday.

Newsnight’s report came after the Independent Police Complaints Commission announced on Monday it was investigating 14 allegations that Scotland Yard covered up child abuse from the 1970s to the 2000s.

Scotland Yard launched Operation Fairbank in 2012 to investigate allegations that high-profile political figures had been involved in organised sex abuse and, earlier this month, the home secretary appointed Justice Goddard to head a separate public inquiry into whether “public bodies and other non-state institutions have taken seriously their duty of care to protect children from sexual abuse in England and Wales”.