General Sir Hugh Beach has branded claims he was part of a VIP sex ring 'beyond grotesque' at the trial of the man accused of making up allegations against top figures
One of the British Army's oldest former generals branded claims of an alleged VIP sex ring 'beyond grotesque' as he gave evidence via a videolink from his own home today.
General Sir Hugh Beach, 96, was among a series of top figures accused of abuse by Carl Beech, initially known only as 'Nick', who is now on trial for perverting the course of justice.
Asked what he thought of claims he was part of a group who abused Beech as a seven or eight-year-old, Sir Hugh replied: 'It is beyond grotesque. It is inconceivable.'
Prosecutor Tony Badenoch QC said to him: 'The defendant Carl Beech has also said he was transported to other locations to be sexually abused by a group. He implicates yoou in the transportation arrangements. What do you say to that?'
Sir Hugh replied replied: 'It's totally untrue.'
Asked whether he had carried out the abuse with fellow leading figures Lord Bramall and Sir Roland Gibbs, Sir Hugh replied: 'If I had done any such thing I am sure I would have a clear recollection of it.'
Earlier today, Newcastle Crown Court heard Carl Beech claimed he had been raped at a swimming pool complex in Dolphin Square, as labelled in the 1982 video for Do You Really Want To Hurt Me.
But Boy George and his bandmates didn't actually use the pool at the exclusive Dolphin Square complex for their video, which was actually shot in Hornsey public baths at Holloway, the jury was told.
Prosecutors say the fact he misidentified the swimming pool makes a mockery of Beech's claim that the video brought back painful memories of Dolphin Square.
Carl Beech is on trial at Newcastle Crown Court accused of perverting the course of justice
The court has been shown a series of sketches Beech produced of locations he claimed showed the Dolphin Square pool where the alleged abuse took place. The sketches were similar to the setting of a 1982 pop video by Culture Club, which wrongly claimed to have been shot at Dolphin Square
The court heard the actual video was shot at another swimming pool, undermining Beech's claim the video brought back 'painful memories'
The court has been told of a Facebook conversation in May 2014 in which Beech claimed to recognise the location.
He told her: 'I was just about to post a video and realised it has a location on it so I can't (sad face emoji). It's a link to the video by the band Culture Club, 'Do You Really Want To Hurt Me'.
She replied: 'Ah yes I know that song.'
Beech went on: 'It is a location I was taken to regularly and they had a pool party in that pool but not a good party.'
He identified the location to her as: 'A huge apartment block in London.'
Former MP Harvey Proctor has branded Beech's claims 'the ravings of a fantasist'
In 2016 - after the £2m Operation Midland into his claims had been dropped - Northumbria Police were brought in to investigate Beech's alleged lies.
In 2014, Beech had claimed he had been taken to the pool several times and was abused there by - among others - former Home Secretary Leon Brittan who would hold his head under the water.
Northumbria detectives tracked down the producer of the video and he confirmed it had been shot in the less exclusive location of a now disused public swimming pool.
Detective Sergeant Paul Johnson told the court: 'He confirmed the video had not been filmed at Dolphin Square at all. He could not say specifically where it was but he confirmed it was a public swimming pool in London.
'Our team analysed the video to categorise particular features of this location and try to identify where it was shot.
'We identified the Hornsey swimming pool where we believe it was taken.'
The jury was shown shots of the now derelict pool showing various features that could be identified from the Culture Club video.
Pointing out one of them, Detective Sergeant Johnson said: 'You can see Boy George climbing up the
