Former Tory MP Harvey Proctor broke down in tears as he told the jury of a man charged with inventing a Westminster paedophile ring how he felt when he saw his face on TV in connection with allegations that he was a child murderer and violent paedophile.

The former politician faced defendant Carl Beech at Newcastle Crown Court where he was appearing as a witness and described the accusations that he was a killer and sadistic sexual abuser as “wrong, malicious, false, horrendous”.

Beech, 51, denies 12 counts of perverting the course of justice and one of fraud.

Jurors have previously been shown a police video interview in which the defendant told detectives he saw Mr Proctor rape and murder a boy by stabbing him in the arm and choking him in 1980.

Beech, a father-of-one from Gloucester, also said Mr Proctor had been involved in the murder of another unknown child.

Mr Proctor, white-haired, wearing a grey suit and yellow tie, was asked by Tony Badenoch QC, prosecuting, about being named as a murderer of children and sadistic sex offender. He replied: “The allegations are wrong, malicious, false, horrendous.”

Carl Beech
Carl Beech, shown here during a police interview, denies 12 counts of perverting the course of justice and one of fraud (CPS)

He became emotional in the witness box when he recalled seeing his face on the BBC news the morning after his home in the grounds of Belvoir Castle was raided by murder squad detectives from the Metropolitan Police.

He said he had hardly slept the night after the police conducted the search and that he had inadvertently left his television on as he went to bed.

He told jurors: “I looked up at the television screen to see my face looking back at me, and a story ran on the head of the BBC news television programme that my property had been searched in connection with historic sexual abuse, including child murders.”

He said he had been determined to face the allegations and went on the Today radio programme, where he said the allegations were a “horrendous, irrational nightmare”.

The politician said that around “30 journalists and photographers” later tried to attend his property, but got the wrong address.

He later lost the job he enjoyed, working for the Duke and Duchess of Rutland.

Harvey Proctor
Harvey Proctor became emotional in the witness box (Owen Humphreys/PA)

Mr Proctor said that he had received a knock on the door at 8am on March 4 2015 and found it was the police.

He said he was told that a search of his property was being done in connection with “historic child sexual abuse”, explaining how the search ran for 15 hours.

Of the detectives, he said: “I asked more questions of them than I got answers. They weren’t very forthcoming with what it was that I was supposed to have done.”

The witness said he was fearful of the press reporting the incident, given that he had admitted four counts of gross indecency in 1987.

He had been effectively outed as a homosexual by a newspaper, and said that his beloved role as an MP for Billericay was no longer possible.

Discussing attitudes towards homosexuality at that time, he said: “It was not something which, if alleged against a Conservative Member of Parliament, could allow them to continue as a Conservative Member of Parliament at that time.”

When asked how this felt, he said: “I thought my life had come to an end, really.

“Something which I thought I would do for the rest of my life, subject to the wishes of the electorate, was torn away from me.”

Earlier, he outlined how his political views were at odds with former prime minister Ted Heath – also named by Beech as one of the powerful paedophile ring, along with army generals and security chiefs.

Describing how he first met Mr Heath in 1966, the witness said: “He had a wet, limp handshake. It rather reflected his character.”

He said he had no “direct association” with Mr Heath between 1979 and 1984, and said Mr Heath had blocked him from being a Tory candidate because of his views on Europe, but was reinstated when Margaret Thatcher took over as party leader.