The Unbelievable Story of Carl Beech is set to air on BBC Two on Monday night and tells the stranger-than-fiction story of Carl who, in 2014, accused a group of prominent men of sexual abuse, only to be imprisoned himself for perverting the course of justice and of fraud when it emerged that he had made it all up.
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In 2014, Carl's online blog attracted attention, particularly after he named his supposed abusers, including Lord Bramall, former Conservative MP Harvey Proctor and the former Conservative home secretary Leon Brittan, who had passed away in 2015.
© Photo: BBCCarl accused three men of murdering three boys, leading to a huge investigation
He also alleged that Lord Bramall, Harvey and Lord Brittan had murdered three boys, leading the police to raid their homes for evidence. After finding no evidence and making no arrests after a year, Carl himself became a person of interest after it was discovered he was in possession of indecent images.
After attempting to flee the country, he was extradited in 2019 and sentenced to 18 years in prison. According to the BBC, at his trial Justice Goss said: "I’m quite satisfied that you are an intelligent, resourceful, manipulative and devious person," adding that he must serve half of his total sentence in prison.
© Photo: BBCCarl was sentenced to 18 years in prison
Lord Bramall, who was 95 at the time, spoke at the trial at the effect the false allegations had on his life, adding that his wife had passed away without knowing he had been cleared.
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He said: "In service of my Queen and country I have done all that has been required of me. I have suffered both physically and emotionally as a result and did so without regret or complaint. I thought I could be hurt no more. I can honestly say, however, I was never as badly wounded in all my time in the military as I have been by the allegations made by 'Nick' [Carl's pseudonym] that formed the basis of Operation Midland."
© Photo: BBCHe is currently appealing the length of his sentence
Since his conviction, Carl has appealed to have his 18-year sentence reduced following attempts to appeal against his conviction entirely, which according to Daily Mail, was "refused by the single judge". A Crown Prosecution Service lawyer told the police: "Mr Beech has decided not to pursue an appeal against conviction. He has, however, renewed his application for permission to appeal against sentence."
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