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Former Conservative Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath. Toby Melville/PA
edward heath

Watchdog probes handling of child sex abuse claims against former British prime minister

The issue was referred by Wiltshire Police following allegations made by a retired senior officer.

AN INVESTIGATION HAS been launched into police handling of child sex abuse allegations against former British Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath.

In a statement today the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) confirmed the probe into allegations concerning Wiltshire Police’s handling of the alleged sex abuse claim in the 1990s.

The issue was referred to the watchdog by Wiltshire Police following allegations made by a retired senior officer.

It is alleged that a criminal prosecution was not pursued, when a person threatened to expose that Sir Edward Heath may have been involved in offences concerning children. In addition to this allegation, the IPCC will examine whether Wiltshire Police subsequently took any steps to investigate these claims.

The investigation is linked to a wider one into allegations of historical sexual abuse.

Heath was prime minister from 1970 to 1974 and leader of the Conservative Party for a decade. He passed away in 2005.

Read: Dozens of children moved around Ireland for sexual exploitation>

Read: Six convicted after teenage girls raped and forced into child sex ring>

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