Police Corruption & Organised Crime

Operation Countryman II (8) Jimmy Savile, Organised Crime, Fraud and Police protection:

• Crime and Parliamentary Affairs correspondent TIM HICKS examines the connection between organised crime, abuse of children and young people, fraud, official protection and Police protection.

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People are getting very concerned over the revelations about Police and political protection of Sir Cyril Smith. This is not a new phenomenon. Organised crime cannot exist without the assistance of Police and/or political corruption. Since the war, there have been several high-profile cases of fraudsters and paedophiles like Lord Boothby, Ronnie Kray, Cyril Smith, Peter Jaconelli and Jimmy Savile being protected by the Police and politicians and this practice carries on to this day.

Ronnie Kray and Lord Boothby: fraudsters and paedophiles 1950s to 1969.

The Kray twins, or Ronnie and Reggie as they were known, were violent ruthless East End gangsters who ruled the East End of London in the 1950s and 1960s with an iron grip. Most people think that their money came from protection rackets, but in fact, a major part of their funding was obtained through fraud, by having their people on the payroll of legitimate bars and clubs, siphoning funds out of them; or by use of a technique called the “long firm fraud”. In this type of fraud, typically a trading company is set up by a fraudster, usually giving a false identity or address with the intention of using it fraudulently. The company is at first run normally, buying goods and paying suppliers promptly to obtain credit over several months (hence the name “long firm fraud”, because it takes a long period of preparation prior to the fraud).

The fraudster purchases the maximum of goods on credit, then flees without paying the bills. Usually the fraudster would give a false name and/or false residence details, then clear all the funds out of the company bank account, remove the goods from the place of business and sell them, pocket the profits and flee, leaving the supplier high and dry. This type of fraud has become much less common recently because of closer attention to establishing customer’s identity as a result of increased public awareness over identity fraud.

Full details of the Krays here with a very good description of “long firm fraud” (at 21 minutes).

NYE has a very loyal following of Police Officers from the UK and abroad. This video is well worth watching for those of them with an interest in the history of the Police service and the great gang-busting operations in the 1960s and 1970s.

The Krays were politically protected. Ronnie Kray was homosexual and intimate with Lord Boothby the Conservative Peer. Full story, courtesy of the Daily Mail: here.  Boothby was bisexual. He liked rough-trade sex and teenage boys. Boothby met Ronnie and Reggie through Labour politician Tom Driberg (who also enjoyed mixing with criminals and rent boys) – a future Labour Lord and Chairman of the Party. Driberg took Boothby to one of the Krays gambling clubs where the peer became intimate with one of the staff there, Leslie Holt, who was also a burglar and prostitute.

Ronnie Kray also ran a vice ring of 16 – 18 year old rent boys. To quote the Daily Mail:

“He arranged sex shows, starting with blue movies and moving onto performances specially tailored to the tastes of those he wanted to impress. Boothby’s particular perversions  –  too shocking to describe in a newspaper even now  –  were met in full.” 

In 1964, the Metropolitan Police were ready to arrest Boothby, but his political connections (he was a senior Conservative and the lover of the Prime Minister’s wife) meant that in the year immediately following the furore caused by the Profumo affair, neither the Conservatives nor the Labour Party wanted Driberg and Boothby exposed, so the Police backed off. This left the Krays free to carry on their reign of terror until they were jailed for life in 1969, having committed a number of murders and terrorised the East End for a further five years.

Lord Boothby also indulged in fraud, obtaining an enormous settlement of £40,000, (much of which has been alleged to have been paid to the Krays) by denying the allegations of association with Ronnie Kray and threatening to sue the Sunday Mirror, which had covered the story..

The Richardson’s Gang fraudsters and sadists 1951 to 1966

Not so well known in the 1960s were the Richardson Gang, who ruled South London. Also brothers, Charlie and Eddie the Police in their pockets and regularly paid off Police Officers. They were specialists in “long firm fraud” and also known as the Torture Gang, from their practice of interrogating and then brutally torturing anyone that crossed them. They were far more successful than the Krays – and far more violent. However, their close connections to the Police prevented their arrest for many years. Full information here – including a good description of Police corruption in South London in the period, and “long firm fraud” as practised by the Richardson’s (at 13 minutes).

Charlie Richardson himself stated, quite openly, that he paid off Metropolitan Police Officers up to the rank of Commander in South London, and this is probably a reference to  Commander Drury of the Flying Squad, who lived in South London and had effective operational control of CID in the area, and Commander Virgo who controlled the fraud squad, which was supposed to investigate Richardson’s frauds, but never did.
 

Jimmy and Rusty Humphreys 1960’s to 1994

In the 1960s, corruption was rife in the Metropolitan Police. The worst and most corrupt squad in the Met, and probably in the country, was the Metropolitan Police Clubs and Vice Unit, which took pay-offs from pimps, pornographers, and prostitutes. Officers from the Squad also extorted money from club-owners, licensees and proprietors of striptease clubs, and could also make evidence disappear – for a price. They would also arrest rivals. It was led by Detective Chief Inspector George Fenwick, Head of the Obscene Publications Squad; his direct superiors were Detective Chief Superintendent Bill Moody and Commander Wally Virgo, Head of the Serious Crime Squad, who was in overall charge of the unit and nine other specialist squads within the Met including the Drugs and Flying Squads. They were all corrupt and were all being paid off. Fenwick, for instance, would bring pornographers to Holborn Police Station and allow then to select what confiscated pornographic material they wanted for redistribution in their sex-shops, and sell it back to them.

Jimmy and Rusty Humphries ran a crime empire in Soho from the 1960s until Jimmy was jailed in 1974 for GBH. By paying off corrupt Police Officers, they were able to control Soho’s pornography, striptease and prostitution trades. Rusty Humphreys was a former stripper who worked as a porn actress under the name Rusty Gaynor. She controlled prostitutes. It is highly likely that some of the girls they used as prostitutes were under age or coerced into prostitution. But the police left them alone because Jimmy was paying them off.

Full story here:  Here.

Following exposure in the press, there were two major corruption trials.  Fenwick, Moody and Virgo were all given between ten and fourteen years in prison. Drury also went down, along with nine other detectives.  Humphries gave evidence against them to reduce his sentence. Both he and Rusty were jailed in 1994 for living off immoral earnings.

In response to this irrefutable evidence of corruption, Commissioner Sir Robert Mark called in Detectives from the County Forces to investigate the Metropolitan Police from top to bottom.  It was called Operation Countryman. At first, it was housed in London, but following tampering with the evidence it had collected, such was the level of corruption and opposition to the squad in London, it had to be moved to Godalming Police Station, in Surrey. Over 400 Police Officers lost their jobs during or after the Countryman investigation. Despite Operation Countryman’s recommendation that 300 Officers should face criminal charges, no-one was charged.

For a full account of the obstruction that Operation Countryman faced from Chief Police Officers, the DPP Sir Thomas Heatherington and the Attorney General Sir Michael Havers, see this excellent World in Action Documentary.

Jimmy Savile fraudster, rapist and paedophile 1955 to 2009

The allegations of police corruption surrounding Jimmy Savile’s interaction with corrupt police officers have been documented in another NYE article.

However, in summary, an Officer with the Metropolitan Police Clubs and Vice Unit recorded intelligence about a brothel in Richardson Gang territory in South London which was frequented by Jimmy Savile. It appears that the Metropolitan Police had a record of Savile connecting him with a location used by criminals to commit sexual offences against vulnerable girls, then force them into prostitution. However, nothing was done about Savile, although this must have come to the attention of the Vice Squad and Commander Virgo.

Savile’s biographer Dan Davies has suggested that Savile also dabbled in property fraud, in connection with the sale of a property to Mecca in Manchester, while Savile was working for Mecca there. He was also associated with some members of Manchester’s notorious “Quality Street Gang” which controlled crime in the City at the time. According to Davies, quoting a Police witness, a small group of Police Officers from Manchester City Police paid regular social visits to Savile’s flat, three or four at a time, in the 1960s. At this time, Savile was managing the Plaza night club in the centre of Manchester with access to young and impressionable girls. The Police witness confirms that an Officer from the Manchester City Police Drugs Squad would bring cannabis and smoke it with Savile in his flat while other Officers had sex with girls provided by Savile.

Peter Jaconelli, rapist and paedophile circa 1947 to 1999 

Savile’s method of operation in North Yorkshire was very different to his modus operandi in other Force areas.  He was closely associated with the leading and influential Conservative politician Peter Jaconelli, who was a Scarborough Borough Councillor, North Yorkshire County Councillor, Mayor of Scarborough and leader of a major paedophile vice-ring, which operated in Scarborough and Whitby for decades with the full knowledge of North Yorkshire Police. This ring abused children and enticed them into prostitution, without any action being taken by North Yorkshire Police, because of Jaconelli’s influence locally, although his offending was common knowledge in Scarborough and known to the Police.  It has also been alleged that Jaconelli committed multiple offences of rape.

Savile took advantage of Jaconelli’s extensive contacts with the Police arising a result of his Mayoral duties.  As a result, the Police left Savile alone, because they left Jaconelli alone and Savile was closely associated with Jaconelli. Hence, Savile and Jaconelli were able to cruise around Scarborough or over to Whitby in Savile’s pink Rolls Royce, pick up youngsters of both sexes from the burger bar within sight of the Police Station, then take them away to be abused and paid off.  Again this was common knowledge in Whitby.

We know that Savile was known to Chief Inspector Tom Fox, who commanded policing in Whitby and then Scarborough. He was also known to Chief Constable Grahame Maxwell, who shared a platform with him at an event for young people in Selby, organised by Officers from Selby Police Station, even though North Yorkshire Police had been informed that Savile was the subject of a major paedophile investigation. He also put a Police car at Savile’s disposal.

Sir Cyril Smith rapist and paedophile, protected by the Liberal Party, MI5 and Lancashire Police from the 1960’s onwards

The investigation by Lancashire Police into Cyril Smith was plagued by political interference from the start. It was conducted by Lancashire Police Special Branch, not Lancashire Police CID. Smith was protected by the Liberal Party, the Chief Constable of Lancashire, William Palfrey, and MI5. Full story here. Eventually, Officers from MI5 seized the files relating to the Lancashire Police investigation.

Interestingly, the next Chief Constable of Lancashire Stanley Parr CBE QPM was dismissed for similarly abusing his position to improperly influence cases. A key allegation was that Parr prevented the prosecution of a County Councillor who was also a Police Committee member and local businessman over a driving summons.

When a journalist got close to Smith, he was threatened with arrest by the Metropolitan Police on the orders of MI5. This policy of using Police powers to suppress evidence of abuse by high profile figures still continues to this day. When the North Yorkshire Enquirer team started to probe Savile and Jaconelli’s links with North Yorkshire Police and the relationship between Councillor Jane Kenyon-Miller and North Yorkshire Police, one of our journalists was also threatened with arrest.

The Labour MP Simon Danczuk has alleged that Smith was protected because he was a member of a powerful paedophile network based in Westminster. Certainly the orders by MI5 to (1) seize the files, (2) serve a D-Notice on a journalist to prevent him from revealing serious crime by a senior politician, (3) threaten to arrest the journalist,  and then (4) the decision to continually suppress the evidence for thirty years, could only have come from the top.

Councillor Jane Kenyon-Miller and the Belvedere Computers Inc Long firm fraud 1980 onwards

Councillor Jane Kenyon-Miller:  Long term practitioner of the long firm fraud.  Protected by North Yorkshire Police and Scarborough Borough Council. http://nyenquirer.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/PHOTOON_008-400×300.jpg

Scarborough Borough Councillor Jane Kenyon-Miller is the Chief Financial Officer and Agent for Service of Process at Belvedere Computers Inc, a company registered in the United States which has no assets and currently owes about $93,000 in taxes to the Government of California. Full details are here.

Councillor Kenyon-Miller is registered under a false address in the United States and has not filed tax returns for the company or her personal returns in the US since about 1980, although she has a legal duty to do so.

This means she has committed a criminal offence in the United States. If she is prosecuted, the fines interest, penalties and cost of any investigation will be added to the outstanding taxes and will amount well into six or even seven figures. It is also possible she could go to jail in the United States if prosecuted: criminals corner. Belvedere Computers Inc is a classic case of “long firm fraud” and the offences of tax fraud on the United States Government being committed by Councillor Kenyon-Miler are ongoing and current.

Failing to register her interest in Belvedere Computers Inc is a criminal offence.

Councillor Kenyon-Miller has been involved in other companies in the UK which have folded leaving debts – notably Dales Timber Ltd.

As with the Sir Cyril Smith Case, as soon as the NYE started to probe Savile and Jaconelli’s links with North Yorkshire Police and the relationship between Councillor Jane Kenyon-Miller and North Yorkshire Police, one of our journalists was also threatened with arrest. Indeed, although Councillor Kenyon-Miller does not deny the allegation about Belvedere Computers Inc, the only person that has been investigated by the Police is one of the journalists who publicised Councillor Kenyon’s misconduct. Predictably, he has been threatened with arrest by Deputy Chief Constable Tim Madgwick and Detective Superintendent Heather Pearson of North Yorkshire Police, on the ridiculous pretext that he is harassing Councillor Jane Kenyon-Miller.

Detective Superintendent Pearson also demanded that he take down the articles about Councillor Kenyon-Miller and others from the internet.

So why should this be? Well, Councillor Kenyon-Miller is a senior Conservative Party politician in Yorkshire and was formerly the Chair of the North Yorkshire Police Authority – like Jaconelli, Boothby, Driberg and Smith, a person of considerable political influence.

And what about Scarborough Borough Council? Aren’t they concerned about having a fraudster as Portfolio Holder for Finance, Procurement and Legal? Apparently not. The Council is just refusing to acknowledge requests for an investigation, thereby perverting the democratic process and making Councillor Kenyon-Miller unaccountable for her actions and above the law.

The political interference in the Kenyon-Miller case by senior Police Officers is exactly the same as that which led to Chief Constable Stanley Parr being dismissed, after he prevented the prosecution of a County Councillor who was also a Police Committee member and local businessman. This was only over a driving summons, not a six or seven figure fraud on the United States Government and an attempt to frame a journalist for a criminal offence at the request of a corrupt politician.

Yet Chief Constable Jones refuses to comment on the actions of his Deputy, or respond to correspondence on it. His actions appear similar to those senior Officers of the Metropolitan Police in the 1970s who failed to face up to corruption in the Met identified by Operation Countryman, narrated in the “World in Action” documentary above.

Summary

Organised crime cannot exist without the assistance of Police and or political corruption. There have been several high-profile cases of fraudsters and paedophiles – like Lord Boothby, Ronnie Kray, Cyril Smith, Peter Jaconelli and Jimmy Savile – being protected by the Police and politicians throughout post-war British history.  This has resulted in murders, frauds, rapes and numerous other sexual offences being committed.

The Kenyon-Miller case shows that this practice carries on to this day.

It is time for it to stop.

The Chief Constable should take action.