Lord McAlpine 'to take legal action' over abuse claims
Lord McAlpine issued his response amid claims over abuse at a north Wales children's home
Lord McAlpine has "no choice" but to take legal action over claims of abuse at a north Wales children's home, the Conservative peer's solicitor has said.
Andrew Reid said claims linking the peer to alleged historical child abuse were "false and seriously defamatory".
The solicitor was critical of the BBC's Newsnight, on which claims were made although no-one was named.
The BBC said the Newsnight broadcast had voiced concerns raised by an abuse victim, in the public interest.
Steve Messham, a former resident of the Bryn Estyn children's home in Wrexham, claimed on Newsnight that he had been abused by an unnamed senior politician of the Thatcher era.
But in a statement on Friday Lord McAlpine, 70, who was Conservative Party treasurer from the late 1970s until 1990, said he had been named on the internet and by implication by other media over the claims.
Some newspapers on Friday reported that the peer had been a victim of mistaken identity.
Asked by BBC Radio 4's PM programme if Lord McAlpine would take legal action, Mr Reid said: "Sadly he has no choice.
"We need to take a number of different actions. Firstly to try to get this taken down from the internet which is not going to be easy.
"Then we have to look at Newsnight and.. the way in which they behaved, the way they trailed, they made it obvious who it was, or who they alleged it was by referring people to the internet.
"And all the others who have used the internet and just let people know where to go and find the answer because they made these statements recklessly."
A BBC spokeswoman said: "Newsnight broadcast an investigation into alleged failures in a child abuse inquiry. It worked with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism to give a voice to concerns raised by an abuse victim.
"It was in the public interest to air these. We did not name any public figure for legal reasons. It is now for the inquiries announced by the home secretary to dig deeper into Mr Messham's concerns."
Lord McAlpine says abuse claims false and defamatory
Lord McAlpine issued his response amid claims over abuse at a North Wales children's home
Conservative peer Lord McAlpine has said allegations linking him to alleged historical child abuse are "wholly false and seriously defamatory".
The ex-treasurer released a statement after a man claimed he had been abused at a care home in Wrexham.
Lord McAlpine said he had visited Wrexham "only once" and that he had been in the company of an agent from Conservative Central Office.
He said he had "never" been to the children's home linked to the claims.
Lord McAlpine's denial comes after Steve Messham claimed on the BBC's Newsnight that he had been abused by a senior politician of the Thatcher era, who was not named.
In his statement, Lord McAlpine 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.
"I have never stayed in a hotel in or near Wrexham, I did not own a Rolls-Royce, have never had a 'Gold card' or 'Harrods card' and never wear aftershave, all of which have been alleged.
"I did not sexually abuse Mr Messham or any other residents of the children's home in Wrexham."
He said he had decided to "publicly tackle these slurs and set the record straight".
'Witch-hunt'
His statement comes after David Cameron said he feared a "witch-hunt" by those commenting online about child abuse allegations.
The prime minister was commenting on the This Morning programme after being unexpectedly handed a list of names of people who the ITV1 show's presenter said were being mentioned online as paedophiles.
Presenter Phillip Schofield, who said he had based the list on internet speculation, has been criticised for his actions during the live interview which had been addressing historical claims of a paedophile ring linked to No 10.
Mr Cameron, who did not look at the list, said he was "worried" that speculation about unproven allegations could lead to a "witch-hunt particularly against people who are gay" and advised anyone with evidence of abuse to go to the police.
London Mayor Boris Johnson branded it a "rum piece of journalism" and Labour's Chuka Umunna said it had been "foolish and irresponsible".
Meanwhile, TV regulator Ofcom said it had received complaints about the programme.
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.
Home Secretary Theresa May will address MPs in the House of Commons later
Plans for a fresh inquiry into allegations of child abuse in north Wales are to be outlined to MPs later by Home Secretary Theresa May.
It comes after a man who claims he was abused by a senior Thatcher-era Conservative said an earlier inquiry did not fully investigate abuse claims.
Steve Messham said there was little point in "an inquiry into the inquiry" which did not examine the abuse claims.
Mrs May said it was vital to look fully at what had been done in the past.
William Hague ordered an inquiry into the abuse in 1996, when he was Welsh secretary. Over the course of three years, it heard from 650 people who had been in care from 1974.
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.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mrs May said: "What we need to do is what the government is doing, which is saying - given the nature of these concerns, given the background, given the appalling nature of child abuse - we need to look very carefully to make sure that what was done in the past did indeed cover everything that it needed to do, and was done properly."
The home secretary, who is expected to address MPs around 1230 GMT, said she would be making a statement to the House of Commons about "how support will be able to be given to North Wales Police in terms of looking at the police investigation".
Mr Messham, who is set to meet Welsh Secretary David Jones later, has said that inquiry covered a fraction of the alleged assaults carried out at children's homes in North Wales during the 1970s and 1980s.
Prime Minister David Cameron said the allegations were "very concerning" and "dreadful".
He said: "We must get to the bottom of them as quickly as possible on behalf of the victims and that is why I have ordered this rapid investigation into the previous inquiry to find out if there was something wrong with it and to make sure the victims were properly listened to.
Welsh Assembly discussion
"Today the home secretary will be speaking to the House of Commons and making sure that the police have the capacity to deal with these allegations and making sure that no stone is left unturned in getting to the bottom of these appalling matters."
It comes the day after he said 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.
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, but that should not be all that is investigated.
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."
'Shadowy figure'
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.
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.
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.
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.
Lord McAlpine issued his response amid claims over abuse at a north Wales children's home 
