Ted Heath child abuse claims: North Yorkshire prison officer in allegation against former PM

North Yorkshire said the alleged offence did not take place in the county

Sir Edward aboard his yacht, ‘Morning Cloud’, in 1971. Police in Jersey are investigating claims that he visited a children’s home that is now at the centre of a child sex-abuse inquiry (PA)

A North Yorkshire prison officer has reportedly made an allegation against Sir Edward Heath.

North Yorkshire Police, one of seven forces reported to be looking into child sex abuse allegations against the former Prime Minister, said in a statement that it had found records of no crimes involving Heath in the county.

It said that details of one crime "not connected to the North Yorkshire area" had been found following a "comprehensive search", however. The intelligence has been passed to Wiltshire Police as the force leading the investigation on all allegations against Heath.

According to Sky News, the allegation from the prison officer surfaced after Heath was photographed in Scarborough in the 1970s with the prominent local politician Peter Jaconelli.

A known associate of Jimmy Savile, Jaconelli was accused in relation to a string of alleged offences against children after the ice cream boss died in 1999.

The photograph of Heath with Jaconelli prompted North Yorkshire officers to check through their records. Last week, North Yorkshire County Council leader Carl Les issued an apology to the 35 victims targeted as part of a paedophile ring in Scarborough, where Jaconelli was mayor.