300 VIPs accused of child sex abuse

By James Gillespie
Sunday Times
November 22, 2015

http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/People/article1636051.ece?CMP=OTH-gnws-standard-2015_11_21

Police have acknowledged that a raid on the home of Cliff Richard was a mistake. The singer has not been charged with any offence

MORE than 300 people prominent in public life are facing allegations of historic sex abuse, the police chief co- ordinating the investigations has revealed.

Simon Bailey, the chief constable of Norfolk and commander of Operation Hydrant, which is overseeing the inquiries into non-recent child abuse in institutions or by prominent people, also revealed that he is drawing up new guidelines, which will be issued to investigating officers within the next few weeks on how to handle witnesses and alleged offenders.

The move follows growing concerns over the handling of some cases in which witnesses have given lurid accounts of abuse — including murder — and named alleged abusers. A number of the most highly publicised accounts have subsequently turned out to be either impossible to substantiate or fantasy.

Bailey said that of 2,156 people identified by police as suspects, 302 were in positions of public prominence.