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Sir Edward Heath would have been quizzed by police over claims he raped and sexually abused seven men and boys aged as young as 10, an official report reveals.

The first case dates back to 1961 when the former Tory Prime Minister, who led the country from 1970 to 1974, is alleged to have raped an 11-year-old boy.

The most recent was the alleged indecent assault of a child in Wiltshire at some time between 1990 and 1992. All are said to have happened while he was an MP.

The seven cases allegedly took place in London, Kent, Guernsey, Jersey, Wiltshire and Sussex and two allegedly occurred when Sir Edward was Secretary of State for Industry and Leader of the Tory Party.

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The claims, which span his five decades as an MP, with some linked to the sailing world, would have merited a police interview under caution, the Operation Conifer report revealed on Thursday.

Sir Edward, who lived in Salisbury, Wiltshire, died in 2005 aged 89.

Eight of the alleged offences covered the period when Sir Edward was Prime Minister, although none of those met the formal interview threshold, the findings said.

The two-year criminal investigation gives no conclusion of guilt of innocence.

It states: “The findings in the report published today do not state whether Sir Edward Heath was guilty of any criminal offence or comment on the prospect of a successful prosecution had he been alive today.”

Two of the seven most serious alleged attacks are said to have occurred in Guernsey and Jersey, and two in Wiltshire, where Sir Edward lived near Salisbury.

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The report revealed there was "reason to suspect" two people may have "intentionally misled" the police by alleging that they were abused by Sir Edward.

"In the case of one of these disclosures, a live criminal investigation remains ongoing," the report states.

"In the case of the other, a criminal investigation was undertaken and an individual was formally cautioned for an offence of wasting police time after they admitted that they had misled the investigation by making three separate disclosures, where they had purported to be three different people."

Sir Edward’s friends have accused police of a witch hunt insisting he could not have carried such crimes because he could not drive, was under 24-hour police guard and was asexual.

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Former Cabinet Secretary Lord Armstrong of Ilminster and Lord Hunt of Wirral said the findings had left a "cloud of suspicion" hanging over the former prime minister and called for a judge-led investigation.

In a joint statement, they said: "The Wiltshire Police report is profoundly unsatisfactory because it neither justifies nor dispels the cloud of suspicion.

"It contains a summary of the investigation, but draws no conclusion as to Sir Edward's guilt, although during the investigation the chief constable was heard to express, as he certainly should not have done, his personal view that Sir Edward Heath was probably guilty.

"As Sir Edward is dead, justice requires that there should be a quasi-judicial process as a substitute for the judicial process.

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"This could be in the form of an independent review by a retired judge, with unrestricted access to all the evidence collected by the Wiltshire Police.

"In the meantime, a fundamental, time-honoured principle should be respected, namely that a man is innocent until he is proven guilty.

"All those who knew Sir Edward Heath or worked with him are, without exception, convinced that the allegations of child abuse will all be found to be groundless.

"Everything that is known of his character, his habits, his intelligence and his principles supports this view."

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His godson Lincoln Seligman also criticised the probe, which he said would reveal nothing but “innuendo” which “leaves a dark stain over a man who can’t defend himself”.

A total of 42 claims of paedophile assaults were made to police, including the claim he murdered children while on a yacht, though detectives found no evidence to support this.

The claims span from 1956 to 1992 and relate to child sexual abuse, physical abuse and sexual abuse against an adult. They cover 14 different police force areas in the UK and Channel Islands.

In the case of 19 of these, it was found there was undermining information that meant the former Tory Prime Minister would not have been questioned.

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One individual has been cautioned for wasting police time after it emerged they had posed as three people to make three separate allegations.

Police continue to investigate another individual on suspicion of providing false information.

Six “victims” claimed Sir Edward was involved in satanic or ritual abuse but no corroborative evidence was found to support it.

Three more people claimed he attacked them in “military settings” and those led to the arrest of two people who had “links to the military”. Both were later released without charge.

Conifer, which has so far cost £1.5million, has examined claims against the former Conservative leader for the past two years after four people came forward making allegations.

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Heath became Conservative party leader in 1965 and served as prime minister from 1970 to 1974.

His supporters believe the findings by police are an unfair stain on Heath’s reputation and want a fresh judge-led inquiry.

But Wiltshire Police chief constable Mike Veale said he did not believe there was a need for a judge-led review of the allegations.

"At this time I have heard no compelling reasons for such a review, therefore I'm not persuaded to follow this course of action," he said.

"This would neither provide value for money nor provide a legitimate outcome on the guilt or innocence of Sir Edward Heath."

Mr Veale said that the force was obliged to investigate, partly because Heath reached the very top of the British establishment.

The findings of this "closure report" will be passed to the Independent Inquiry Into Child Sexual Abuse.

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The findings will be passed to the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse, which is being chaired by Prof Alexis Jay.

Last year, the inquiry found no evidence that a prosecution against a brothel keeper was dropped because of threats to allege publicly that Heath had been involved in sexual offences.

In November, a report by Dr Rachel Hoskins, who was enlisted by detectives to examine Op Conifer evidence, was revealed.

Writing last November, she said she had “exposed a catalogue of fabrication” at the heart of the inquiry and warned the force it should immediately end its investigation into a key accuser’s “pernicious” claims of satanic ritual abuse.

The criminologist also branded the inquiry “a disgrace” and said that she had “little confidence” police would pass her findings on to MPs.