Jimmy Savile paedophile
Why did No. 10 cover up aide’s child porn arrest?
Downing Street was last night facing allegations of a cover-up over the child porn arrest of one of David Cameron’s oldest friends.
Patrick Rock, 62, deputy director of the No 10 policy unit, resigned and was arrested almost three weeks ago.
But Downing Street said nothing, only choosing to confirm his arrest and departure after being questioned on Monday by the Daily Mail.
Not even senior ministers had been informed.
Officials yesterday confirmed Mr Rock had also previously been the subject of a formal sexual harassment complaint understood to involve a high-flying woman civil servant.
She moved out of No 10 to another department after the case had been examined by Mr Cameron’s chief of staff Ed Llewellyn.
Yesterday, Labour insisted it was extraordinary that a senior figure could resign in such circumstances without any public announcement.
No 10 faced also awkward questions about why Mr Rock was confronted with the child pornography allegations and allowed to quietly resign hours before the police were called in.
Incredibly, outside Mr Cameron’s close circle, only Home Secretary Theresa May was informed of Mr Rock’s resignation.
On a dramatic day in the affair:
- David Cameron said he had been ‘profoundly shocked’ by the charges against Mr Rock, who he has been close to for decades;
- Mr Rock was said to have been ‘top of the list’ in the next tranche of Conservative nominations for the House of Lords;
- It emerged he had been at an election manifesto meeting with Theresa May and Chris Grayling very shortly before his arrest;
- Senior officials at the shadowy National Crime Agency – Britain’s answer to the FBI – still refused even to confirm or deny the arrest as a row raged about why it had been kept under wraps.
- Downing Street was first made aware of a potential offence on February 12, when the matter was apparently brought to Mr Cameron’s attention.
Mr Rock – who has been closely involved in drawing up Government policy on internet porn filters – resigned later that day and was reported to the National Crime Agency. He was arrested at his home in West London in the early hours of February 13.
Police were also invited into Downing Street to examine IT systems and the office used by Mr Rock
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2573358/Why-did-No10-cover-aides-child-porn-arrest-Downing-Street-confirmed-details-pressed-Mail-sex-allegations-against-PMs-friend-emerge.html#ixzz2v6kH0jdt