British police have established a specialist group to investigate allegations of sex crimes by MPs, Peers and celebrities in the wake of new victims coming forward. Hundreds more people made allegations against senior establishment figures in the light of news reports last week, according to the Sunday Times.
The new allegations have come after reports that the Home Office shredded hundreds of documents related to a paedophile ring at Westminster. This has led to 21 separate investigations into sex crimes.
The new VIP group is being headed by Simon Bailey, the chief constable of Norfolk Police. He said thirty senior officers are now involved in investigating MPs, peers, and other well-known figures.
The investigations are spread across the whole country, with thirteen forces currently investigating allegations. Bailey said: “These are allegations against elected officials, celebrities, people of public prominence and people directly connected to them.”
There are now over 400 new alleged victims of child abuse, several of whom have accused politicians. Bailey believes the conviction of Rolf Harris and Max Clifford have given victims the confidence to come forward and tell their stories.
Whilst it is unclear how many of these allegations are accurate or provable, the sheer scale is likely to shock the public. Some of the recent cases, most notably that of Rolf Harris, have shown that even highly respected people can have a darker side.
There is no time-scale on the current investigations and it is unclear when any arrests might be made.
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