Geoffrey Dickens
Geoffrey Dickens | |
---|---|
Member of Parliament for Littleborough and Saddleworth | |
In office 9 June 1983 – 17 May 1995 | |
Preceded by | New constituency |
Succeeded by | Chris Davies |
Member of Parliament for Huddersfield West | |
In office 3 May 1979 – 13 May 1983 | |
Preceded by | Kenneth Lomas |
Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
Personal details | |
Born | Geoffrey Kenneth Dickens 26 August 1931 London, England |
Died | 17 May 1995 Hertfordshire, England | (aged 63)
Political party | Conservative |
Spouse |
Norma Boothby (m. 1956) |
Children | 2 |
Geoffrey Kenneth Dickens (26 August 1931 – 17 May 1995) was a British Conservative politician. He was MP for Huddersfield West from 1979 until the seat was abolished in 1983. He was then elected for Littleborough and Saddleworth and held the seat until his death in 1995.
Dickens is known for his anti-paedophile work, including the naming of diplomat Sir Peter Hayman as a paedophile in the House of Commons.
Early life
Dickens was born in London and
During his youth Dickens became a heavyweight boxer, sparring with
In 1972 Dickens was awarded the
Member of Parliament
A Conservative politician, Dickens stood unsuccessfully for
Paedophile ring investigation
Between 1981 and 1985, Dickens campaigned against a suspected paedophile ring he claimed to have uncovered that was connected to trading child pornography.[7] In 1981, Dickens named the former British High Commissioner to Canada, Sir Peter Hayman, as a paedophile in the House of Commons, using parliamentary privilege so he could not be sued for slander. Dickens asked why he had not been jailed after the discovery on a bus of violent pornography.
In 1983, Dickens claimed there was a paedophile network involving "big, big names – people in positions of power, influence and responsibility" and threatened to name them in the Commons.[8] The next year, he successfully campaigned for the banning of the Paedophile Information Exchange organisation, of which Hayman was a closet member. Dickens had a thirty-minute meeting with the Home Secretary, Leon Brittan, after giving him a dossier containing the child abuse allegations. Although Dickens said he was "encouraged" by the meeting, he later expressed concern that PIE had not (by then) been banned; though it was disbanded in 1984.[7]
On 29 November 1985, Dickens said in a speech to the Commons that paedophiles were "evil and dangerous" and that child pornography generated "vast sums". He further claimed that: "The noose around my neck grew tighter after I named a former high-flying British diplomat on the Floor of the House. Honourable Members will understand that where big money is involved and as important names came into my possession so the threats began. First, I received threatening telephone calls followed by two burglaries at my London home. Then, more seriously, my name appeared on a multi-killer's hit list".[7] Dickens' son later said that about the time when the dossier was given to the Home Secretary, the MP's London flat and constituency home were both broken into but nothing was taken, presumably in a search for documents.[9][10]
The Labour MP
After the issue had been raised again by Labour MP Simon Danczuk in July 2014, the former Director of Public Prosecutions, Lord Macdonald, said the circumstances in which the dossier had gone missing were alarming, and recommended an inquiry into the fate of the dossier.[12]
Prime Minister
In 2015, a file from 1981 was released into the National Archives titled SECURITY. Sir Peter Hayman: allegations against former public official of unnatural sexual proclivities; security aspects, showing that the then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher had been briefed on the matter before the allegations were made public by Dickens.[16][17]
Legacy
The journalist Patrick Cosgrave said of Dickens in his obituary: "Nobody thought more highly of his capacities than Dickens himself."[1] Michael Brown, who had been his whip, remembered "a superb constituency man who held down a Tory majority in difficult northern, working-class seats..."[1] Tristan Garel-Jones wrote that "Despite the conscious self-deprecation, he was shrewder than he let on."[1]
Personal life and death
Dickens married Norma Boothby in 1956 and the couple had two children. He died from liver cancer in Hertfordshire on 17 May 1995, at the age of 63.[1][18] Controversially, his Liberal Democrat successor, Chris Davies, openly campaigned for election during Dickens's illness.[19]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "OBITUARIES Geoffrey Dickens". The Independent. 18 May 1995. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
- Parliament.uk. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
- Parliament.uk. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
- S2CID 144630674.
Indeed, a leading MP is able to campaign for the total recriminalisation of homosexuality in all its forms, with new police powers to shut down all lesbian and gay bars and publications, and to make the cohabitation of gay couples a criminal offence. All of this is astoundingly proposed in the name of preventing the spread of Aids.
Citation given for this statement is Dickens on Heart of The Matter, BBC 1, March 1987. - ISBN 978-1-78099-999-9.
- ^ White, Michael (7 July 2014). "Geoffrey Dickens: a Clown Whose Campaign is Finally Taken Seriously". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Tory MP warned of powerful paedophile ring 30 years ago". The Independent. 22 February 2013. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
- ^ a b "Home Office under fire over lost paedophile dossier". BBC News. 2 July 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
- ^ "Geoffrey Dickens 'said paedophile dossier was explosive'". BBC. 3 July 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
- ^ "MP burgled after handing paedophile dossier to Leon Brittan". The Daily Telegraph. 2 July 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
- ^ Rowena Mason (2 July 2014). "Ex-minister Lord Brittan under scrutiny over 1980s dossier of sex abuse claims". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
- ^ Georgia Graham and James Kirkup (2 July 2014). "Launch formal investigation into the lost paedophile dossier, says former DPP". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
- ^ Rajeev Syal (4 July 2014). "David Cameron asks top civil servant to look into Westminster child abuse claims". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
- ^ Whitehead, Tom (6 July 2014). "Westminster paedophile ring allegations: timeline". The Sunday Telegraph. London. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ^ Boffey, Daniel (5 July 2014). "Edwardian house at heart of a long-simmering sex scandal". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ^ "Westminster 'paedophile ring' investigation: Ex-MI6 spy Sir Peter Hayman named in dossier". The Independent. 30 January 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
- ^ "Diplomat Sir Peter Hayman 'engaged in sexual perversion'". BBC News. 30 January 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
- ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
- ^ "The Economist". Charles Reynell. 16 March 1995 – via Google Books.
Sources
- Times Guide to the House of Commons, Times Newspapers Limited, 1992 edition.