9 November 2012 Last updated at 17:57 ET

BBC apologises for Newsnight child abuse report

Lord McAlpine's solicitor Andrew Reid: "We have to look at Newsnight and the way in which they behaved"

The BBC has issued an unreserved apology for a Newsnight report which led to Lord McAlpine being wrongly implicated in the alleged sexual abuse of children at north Wales care homes.

It comes after a victim, Steve Messham, apologised to the former Tory treasurer after saying he did not assault him.

Newsnight had reported Mr Messham's claims against a leading 1980s Tory politician but did not name him.

The BBC also announced an "immediate pause" in all Newsnight investigations.

Earlier, Lord McAlpine said the claims were "wholly false and seriously defamatory".

His solicitor, Andrew Reid, said the peer will take legal action against those who later named and linked him to the claims.

The BBC's statement said: "On 2 November, Newsnight broadcast a report that looked into criticism of the North Wales Abuse Tribunal.

"The report included an interview with Steve Messham, an abuse victim who said that a senior political figure of the time had abused him.

"We broadcast Mr Messham's claim but did not identify the individual concerned. Mr Messham has tonight made a statement that makes clear he wrongly identified his abuser and has apologised.

"We also apologise unreservedly for having broadcast this report."

The BBC said that, on Friday night, director general George Entwistle had ordered the following actions:

• Sending in a senior news executive to "supervise" Friday night's edition of Newsnight
• An apology broadcast on Friday's programme
• An "immediate pause in all Newsnight investigations to assess editorial robustness and supervision"
• Commissioning BBC Scotland director Ken MacQuarrie to write an "urgent report for the DG covering what happened on this Newsnight investigation"
• An "immediate suspension" of all co-productions with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism which Newsnight worked with on the programme

Mr Messham, a former resident of the Bryn Estyn home, last week told Newsnight he had been abused by a senior politician of the Thatcher era.

Steve Messham has apologised for incorrectly identifying Lord McAlpine as his abuser

He called for a new investigation claiming a report by Sir Ronald Waterhouse in 2000 had not uncovered the full scale of the abuse.

Mr Messham said police had shown him a picture of his abuser but incorrectly told him the man was Lord McAlpine.

He has offered "sincere and humble apologies" to the peer and his family.

In a statement on Friday evening Mr Messham said: "After seeing a picture in the past hour of the individual concerned, this [is] not the person I identified by photograph presented to me by the police in the early 1990s, who told me the man in the photograph was Lord McAlpine."

He later told BBC News he was "actually mortified" when he realised.

He said recent coverage of the scandal had "brought everything back to the fore but I just want justice for everybody and hope we get justice for everybody".

"But I certainly don't want the wrong people accused, that is also wrong.

"That's why I'm speaking out now and I hope people believe what I say. I am sincerely sorry."

North Wales Police said it would be inappropriate to comment on Mr Messham's allegations about the mix-up over identifying the picture "because an investigation is ongoing".

'Seriously defamatory'

Earlier Lord McAlpine's solicitor, Andrew Reid, said the peer had "no choice" but to take legal action over claims linking him to abuse at Bryn Estyn children's home in Wrexham.

The solicitor also criticised the way Newsnight aired Mr Messham's claims last week.

Lord McAlpine, who was Conservative Party treasurer from the late 1970s until 1990, said: "I have never been to the children's home in Wrexham, nor have I ever visited any children's home, reform school or any other institution of a similar nature."

Lord McAlpine, whose grandfather founded the McAlpine construction firm, is a life peer who took the title of Baron McAlpine of West Green in Hampshire.

He became Conservative Party Treasurer in the late 1970s and held the post until 1990. He now lives in Italy.

Lord McAlpine said: "I do not suggest that Mr Messham is malicious in making the allegations of sexual abuse about me.

"If he does think I am the man who abused him all those years ago I can only suggest that he is mistaken and that he has identified the wrong person."

On Tuesday the Home Secretary Theresa May announced a new police inquiry into the allegations of child abuse in north Wales in the 1970s and 1980s.

Mrs May said the head of the National Crime Agency would lead the inquiry.

Separately Mrs Justice Macur will investigate the terms of the Waterhouse abuse inquiry, which began in 1996.

The Home Office said there would be no change to the inquiries announced by Mrs May, following the statements by Mr Messham and Lord McAlpine.

Newsnight is already the subject of a BBC inquiry, headed by ex-Sky News boss Nick Pollard, into why the programme dropped an investigation into sexual abuse claims against Savile last year.

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8 November 2012 Last updated at 09:31 ET

David Cameron warns of 'witch-hunt' over child abuse claims

David Cameron: "There is a danger this could turn into a witch-hunt"

David Cameron fears a "witch-hunt" against gay people as a result of child abuse allegations circulating online.

The prime minister made his comment after being unexpectedly handed a list of names on ITV1's This Morning, which the presenter said were being mentioned online as paedophiles.

The PM, who did not look at the names, said anyone with any information about paedophiles should go to the police.

He was addressing historic claims of a paedophile ring linked to No 10.

The issue was raised by Labour MP Tom Watson in the Commons a fortnight ago.

There have also since been claims by a victim that an unnamed prominent Conservative politician from the Thatcher era was involved in abuse in north Wales.

Presenter Phillip Schofield told the prime minister that there were lots of allegations circulating online about people who might have carried out abuse.

Online gossip

Mr Cameron said that he had heard "all sorts of names being bandied around".

During the live interview, the presenter handed the PM a card with the names on it, saying that they were people Mr Cameron knew and asking whether he would be talking to them.

Mr Cameron replied with a warning: "There is a danger, if we're not careful, that this could turn into a sort of witch-hunt, particularly against people who are gay and I'm worried about the sort of thing you are doing right now - giving me a list of names that you've taken off the internet."

Mr Cameron said that if anyone had any information about anyone who was a paedophile "no matter how high up in British society they are - that's what the police are for".

Downing Street sources said Mr Cameron's fears about a "witch-hunt" were prompted by his objection to online gossip associating homosexuality with paedophilia.

A senior aide to the prime minister said blameless people who were not connected to any child abuse investigations currently being carried out were being targeted by online gossip.

It was "important allegations are handled properly - and people's reputations are not unnecessarily smeared", added the source.

A string of official inquiries have been launched into child abuse allegations since revelations about the activities of BBC television star Jimmy Savile.

Earlier this week, Home Secretary Theresa May announced a new police inquiry into allegations of child abuse in north Wales in the 1970s and 1980s.

Separately, Mrs Justice Macur will investigate the terms of the Waterhouse abuse inquiry, which began in 1996.

The Conservative Party has confirmed it is investigating reports linking one of Margaret Thatcher's former close aides to the allegations.

Child protection charity the NSPCC has called on the government to commit to an over-arching "lessons learned" review to pull together the findings from all the current inquiries into child abuse, once they are completed.

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7 November 2012 Last updated at 10:50 ET

Wales child abuse: 'No public names' in report

The abuse claims centred around the Bryn Estyn children's home in north Wales

The author of a shelved report into abuse at children's homes in the 1970s and 1980s said public figures were not among names given by victims.

John Jillings said he did not recall allegations that children were taken from north Wales homes and abused.

One victim said an independent inquiry commissioned by Clwyd County Council, on which the report was based, would have been told of such abuse claims.

Steve Messham criticised Mr Jillings' recollection about the names given.

The home secretary has launched a new police inquiry into the abuse allegations.

The report was commissioned by Clwyd County Council in March 1994 after claims of widespread abuse across almost 40 homes in north Wales emerged, but was never published because of legal concerns.

'Memory fading'

When asked what names emerged from the victims, Mr Jillings told BBC4's World At One: "I'd rather not get involved in listing names because it's a long time behind me, they didn't include well-known people in public life."

"The people the investigation focussed on, because these were the people that the children spoke to us about, were staff members."

Claims of alleged abuse were highlighted last week when Mr Messham said the subsequent government-commissioned Waterhouse inquiry had uncovered only a fraction of the abuse.

"In the home it was the standard abuse which was violent and sexual. Outside it was like you were sold," he told BBC Newsnight, and detailed being tied down and raped in a hotel room.

In an interview with BBC reporter Sima Kotecha, Mr Jillings was asked if he remembered Mr Messham's allegations.

"I don't recall it, no. My memory may be fading but I don't remember that was one of the issues he raised with us. I can remember very, very serious allegations of abuse by staff members," he said.

He was also asked whether he had heard claims by one of the victims of abuse by a leading Thatcher-era Conservative politician who is still alive.

"Not to the best of my knowledge. I'm sure that would have lodged in my mind and we would have wanted to investigate it had we known about it."

Mr Messham said if he had taken part in the inquiry, it would have had copies of his statements in which he had always been "crystal clear" about who abused him.

"To say that people outside the homes weren't named, that is completely wrong as well. He says however, and credit to him in this way, 'well my remit was to investigate the staff in the homes'.

"Well, yes, OK, that was his remit but to say he wasn't told of any abuse that took place outside the homes, to say he wouldn't be told about the hotel in Wrexham, I think is appalling."

Mr Messham said he could not remember speaking to the inquiry but he said he always relied on his police statements - which were "crystal clear" about who abused him.

"If I was certainly in front of inquiry I would have mentioned the hotels, I would have mentioned these people," he said.

Mr Jillings said he was led to believe the report was not published because the county council's insurers felt it could result in individual children suing for compensation in a way that could have been costly.

"We were very frustrated, we were concerned on behalf of the children, we felt that we had wasted an enormous amount of time and effort and not to be able to publish the report was totally unacceptable," he said.

Municipal Mutual Insurance said that based upon legal advice it considered the report prepared by Mr Jillings had not been suitable for publication.

A spokesman said: "The Waterhouse tribunal commented in its report entitled Lost in Care, that it was almost inevitable that there would be allegations of a 'cover up' by Clwyd. However, the tribunal accepted these allegations were unjustified."

Mr Jillings said some of the victims may have deliberately not mentioned well-known people when being questioned because they were frightened of the repercussions.

Jane Tunstill, who also worked on the report, told the BBC she did not remember any of the victims talking about politicians.

Fresh allegations

Earlier, the Conservative Party said it would ensure there was a full investigation into claims one of Thatcher's aides was involved in child abuse.

On Tuesday, Channel 4 News broadcast an allegation from an unnamed former resident of Bryn Estyn that he had seen the late Sir Peter Morrison - a former close aide to Mrs Thatcher - visit the care home on several occasions in the 1980s and drive away with one of the boys living there.

Sir Peter, who was MP for Chester from 1974 to 1992, died in 1995.

Meanwhile, the children's commissioner for Wales said his office had received 38 calls since Mr Messham spoke out.

Keith Towler said some of the calls were from people who "wanted to make fresh allegations" of abuse.

The alleged abuse centring on children's homes in north Wales - and specifically the Bryn Estyn home at Wrexham - began to emerge in the 1990s.

North Wales Police investigated the claims in 1991 and of eight prosecutions, seven former care workers were convicted.

But it was widely believed that the abuse was on a far greater scale, prompting the setting up of a public inquiry in 1996 which was headed by Sir Ronald Waterhouse and heard evidence from 650 people.

After the report was published in 2000, there were 140 compensation claims settled on behalf of the victims, and numerous recommendations about children in care homes.

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6 November 2012 Last updated at 01:54 ET

Child abuse accuser gives cautious welcome to Welsh inquiry

Steve Messham has said there is no point in having an inquiry into an inquiry

A man who claims he was abused by a senior Conservative in the 1980s has given a cautious welcome to the inquiry into abuse in north Wales announced by the prime minister.

But Steve Messham said the inquiry must look at the abuse that took place - not at the previous inquiry in the 1990s.

He said an outside police force should investigate the abuse, and an expert - not a judge - should lead the inquiry.

Mr Messham is due to meet Welsh Secretary David Jones later.

According to Mr Messham, the inquiry led by Sir Ronald Waterhouse covered a fraction of the alleged assaults carried out at children's homes in North Wales during the 1970s and 80s.

David Cameron said on Monday an independent figure would investigate the way the allegations were dealt with.

Downing Street is to hold talks with the Welsh government to establish the scope of the fresh investigation.

The issue is also expected to be discussed at first minister's questions in the Welsh Assembly on Tuesday afternoon.

Outside police force

Speaking ahead of his meeting with David Jones, Mr Messham told BBC News it was important that there was an investigation into how the police handled the original reports of abuse.

He said: "I welcome the announcement as long as it's an inquiry into the abuse that took place. There's no point in having an inquiry into the inquiry.

"I think we need that done by an outside police force, maybe the Met could come in and look at that."

He also said he believed the investigation into the way the Waterhouse inquiry was conducted should be headed by an expert, unlike the original inquiry. "I just hope that he does not appoint a judge," he said.

Allegations of abuse centring around the Bryn Estyn care home in north Wales, and involving almost 40 children's homes in Wales, began to emerge in the 1990s.

However, a report commissioned in March 1994 by Clwyd County Council was never published because of legal concerns.

William Hague - who was Welsh secretary at the time - ordered an inquiry in 1996 into the abuse, which heard over three years from 650 people who had been in care from 1974.

A report was published in 2000 by Sir Ronald Waterhouse, who died in 2011.

Concerns have now been raised that the remit of the inquiry was too narrow, and that it failed to consider allegations about children being taken out of the homes to be made available to abusers.

A source close to Mr Hague - who is now foreign secretary - has told the BBC that no concerns were raised with him about the terms of the inquiry he established.

Keith Gregory, a Wrexham councillor, told the BBC he was sexually, physically and mentally abused at Bryn Estyn in the 1970s, by staff and others from the local community.

He said the abusers included MPs, solicitors, judges, factory directors, shopkeepers and serving police officers.

Counsel for the Waterhouse inquiry mentioned the existence of a "shadowy figure of high public standing", but said that there was no substantial evidence to support the allegations.

The inquiry identified 28 alleged perpetrators but they were never identified in public.

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5 November 2012 Last updated at 10:56 ET

Wales child abuse: PM orders sex abuse inquiry probe

Carwyn Jones urged abuse victims who felt their cases were not investigated properly to contact the police

The prime minister is appointing a "senior independent figure" to look into the way allegations of sexual abuse at north Wales children's homes in the 1970s and '80s were dealt with.

Victim Steve Messham has said that the Waterhouse inquiry of 2000 only covered a fraction of the alleged assaults.

"Child abuse is an absolutely hateful and abhorrent crime," Mr Cameron said.

He also said Mr Messham would meet with the Welsh secretary, David Jones, on Tuesday.

Speaking in Abu Dhabi, the prime minister added: "These allegations are truly dreadful and they mustn't be left hanging in the air, so I'm taking action today.

"I'm going to be asking a senior independent figure to lead an urgent investigation into whether the original inquiry was properly constituted and properly did its job and to report urgently to the government."

Mr Cameron also urged anyone who knows anything about the allegations of abuse to contact police.

Transparency call

A three-year inquiry into the abuse centred around the Bryn Estyn children's home in north Wales was published in 2000 by Sir Ronald Waterhouse.

Among the other claims made by Mr Messham, one of hundreds who claim they were sexually abused during that period, is that he was abused by a leading Thatcher-era Conservative politician.

Wales' Children's Commissioner Keith Towler said Mr Messham's claims had to be taken seriously and the police and other authorities should be given the opportunity to investigate.

However, Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones said there needed to be more than one complainant to merit another abuse inquiry.

He said anyone with allegations should report them to the police or the children's commissioner.

Mr Towler and Mr Jones will meet on Tuesday to discuss the case.

Report pulped

North Wales Police said it was also seeking to establish whether there were any allegations that required new or further investigation.

The abuse centred around the Bryn Estyn children's home in north Wales

In the early 1990s, allegations of the abuse in almost 40 children's homes in Wales started to surface and in March 1994 Clwyd County Council commissioned an independent inquiry into claims of widespread abuse across north Wales.

But the inquiry's report was never published and the copies were pulped to ensure the local authority was able to maintain its insurance cover.

In the wake of this, and amid growing public pressure, in 1996 the-then Secretary of State for Wales, William Hague, ordered an inquiry into allegations of hundreds of cases of child abuse in children's homes in former county council areas of Clwyd and Gwynedd between 1974 and 1990.

The tribunal, led by Sir Ronald, heard evidence from more than 650 people who had been in care from 1974 and took almost three years to publish its report. Sir Ronald died in 2011.

Counsel for the inquiry mentioned the existence of a "shadowy figure of high public standing", but said that there was no substantial evidence to support the allegations.

The Waterhouse Inquiry identified 28 alleged perpetrators but they were never identified in public.

Anyone with information into these allegations - or who needs support on the issues raised in this article - can call the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000 or email help@nspcc.org.uk, or call their local police station by dialling 101.

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