VIP abuse accuser Carl Beech 'tortured by generals'

A man accused of lying to police about an alleged VIP paedophile ring said he was sexually abused and tortured by army generals, a court has heard.

Carl Beech, 51, told jurors the torture included electrocution and turning him into a human dartboard.

Mr Beech is on trial accused of inventing allegations that a group of powerful figures sexually abused and murdered boys in the 1970s and 1980s.

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

The former NHS manager's claims led to a £2m Metropolitan Police investigation, which ended with no further action being taken.

Giving evidence at Newcastle Crown Court, Mr Beech also repeated claims he was raped by Jimmy Savile, who he said was a guest of the alleged group of abusers "a few times, not many".

Mr Beech described other abuse he claims he was subjected to as a child, including being taken to the army village of Imber, Wiltshire, where he said he was tied up and had his feet burnt.

The father-of-one from Gloucester said more than 10 adults were present - including former head of the Army, Lord Bramall - who were "all in military uniform".

He told jurors said that "five or six" others boys were present, but they "were all split up and taken into different buildings".

"I was undressed and tied to the wall", he said. "My hands raised above my head."

The defendant told the court that some of the men stabbed "something into my foot, into my hands, then later on they put a lighter to my feet".

"I can remember screaming and I can remember crying," he said.

The court has previously been shown footage of Lord Bramall, a D-Day veteran, telling police in 2015 that the allegations were "ridiculous" and demanding that detectives clear his reputation.

Lord Bramall, 95, was too ill to attend the trial in person.

Mr Beech also told the court that a now deceased former head of MI5, Sir Michael Hanley, was present at Imber with military figures and the former head of MI6, Maurice Oldfield.

The defendant said the MI5 boss threatened to make him "disappear if I didn't do as I was told and no-one would care".

He said Sir Michael was not personally involved in the alleged torture but directly "instigated it".

Describing other alleged physical abuse at Imber, he said: "I had darts thrown at me, so I was a dartboard in effect, and electrocution as well."

He said the electrocution involved sparking wires being placed on "my knees" and "between my legs".

Earlier, Mr Beech told jurors he was abused by his stepfather, Major Ray Beech, soon after he and his mother moved in with the officer in the mid-1970s.

He said his stepfather first raped him in a toilet cubicle at a "wildlife park near Oxford" after going there for a "nice outing" along with another man and his son.

The jury heard that his stepfather first introduced him to "General Bramall" at an army office in Wiltshire.

He said that Lord Bramall "asked my stepfather to leave or to wait outside", adding: "I wasn't in there for very long, and he touched my head, he touched my body, I had to undress and then I had to dress again."

Asked about his stepfather's reaction to the trip, he said: "He was happy. It was one of the few times that I remember him happy. He said I had done well although I don't know what I did."

He said that within days he was taken by his stepfather to an empty house where he found Lord Bramall, General Sir Roland Gibbs, General Sir Hugh Beach, and a man taking photos.

He said all the other men left the room apart from Lord Bramall, who then raped him.

Prosecutors say that Mr Beech's allegations, which prompted the Metropolitan Police's Operation Midland inquiry, were completely made up.

Jurors have been told Beech has admitted charges of making indecent images of children and voyeurism.

The trial continues.