Cowardly cover-up

POLICE yesterday admitted letting innocent Tory peer Lord Brittan die with a false rape claim hanging over him because they feared looking bad if the case was dropped.

Met Police chief Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe is under increased pressure as it emerged Scotland Yard knew the case against the ex-Home Secretary was non-existent.

But they were worried about “media criticism and public cynicism” if they pulled the plug.

Probe ... Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe under pressure PA

Lord Brittan, 75, died of cancer in January still not knowing if he would be charged over the allegation dating from 1967.

Cops only told his widow he would have been in the clear in a letter of apology on October 6.

They failed to tell Lord Brittan two inquiries had found no evidence. Despite that, they were still trying to get the Crown Prosecution Service to take an interest.

In a summary report, ordered by London Mayor Boris Johnson, the Met admitted it had feared criticism.

Concerns ... MP Tom Watson SIMON JONES

It also conceded Lord Brittan’s lawyers should have been told no charges would have been brought at the same time as his accuser.

A woman known as “Jane” made a complaint in November 2012 alleging that the peer raped her at his London flat when she was 19.

The Met backtracked on a decision not to question Leon Brittan on the claim two days after it emerged that Labour’s Tom Watson had written to Director of Public Prosecutions Alison Saunders voicing concern about the investigation.

Lord Brittan was not arrested but quizzed under caution a fortnight later in May last year. He denied ever meeting the complainant.

Report order ... London Mayor Boris Johnson AP

By November the Met knew there was insufficient evidence to charge. But even after Crown lawyers declined to consider a file sent that month, the Met tried to appeal.

The force said in its statement yesterday: “It was felt these were highly unusual circumstances where the previous independence of the police to tackle sexual offending by VIPs had been publicly called into question.”

It added a decision to take no action “would undoubtedly have resulted in media criticism and public cynicism”.

Met commissioner Sir Bernard said he could not recall being told Lord Brittan had been cleared.

He said he was prepared to apologise personally to Lady Brittan “if I have got something wrong”.

He added: “We are having a report carried out to get to the bottom of all the facts.”