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Five forces are now investigating sex abuse claims against former PM

Claims she had a prosecution against her dropped after threatening expose

A brothel madam who threatened to expose Sir Edward Heath as a paedophile in the 1990s has been revealed as a Filipino grandmother.

Myra Ling Ling Forde, 67, operated a brothel out of her terraced home in Salisbury, Wiltshire, just one mile from where the former prime minister lived after leaving office.

The pensioner, known as 'Madam Ling Ling', appears to hold the key to the Sir Edward Heath child sex abuse scandal.

It is alleged that in the early 1990s a prosecution against Forde, who is said to have known 'many politicians and celebrities', was dropped after she threatened to expose Sir Edward as a paedophile.

At least five police forces are now investigating child sex allegations involving the former prime minister, who died in 2005, and Wiltshire Police said today they have received 'tens' of calls.

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Madam: Myra Ling Ling Forde, 67, operated a brothel out of her terraced home in Salisbury, Wiltshire, just one mile from where former prime minister Sir Edward Heath lived

Link: Sir Edward Heath is pictured with paedophile Cyril Smith, a former MP for Rochdale, in Leeds in 1975, who is known to have been a linchpin in the Westminster paedophile ring

As well as probes by Wiltshire, London, Kent, Hampshire and Jersey detectives, there is speculation officers in Northern Ireland could examine whether the Tory politician had links to a children's home at the centre of a child abuse inquiry.

A retired senior detective last year alleged that on one occasion charges against twice-married Forde were discontinued, possibly to cover up child sex allegations concerning the former Prime Minister.

Five different police forces are probing allegations against the former Prime Minster after more alleged victims came forward with sexual abuse claims

Sources close to the cover-up investigation – which is being carried out by the Independent Police Complaints Commission - confirmed that Forde was likely to be quizzed by investigators over the collapse of the case.

One said: 'She is at the centre of the child abuse claims concerning Sir Edward.'

Despite avoiding prosecution in suspicious circumstances in the early 1990s, Forde was subsequently convicted in 1995 of running a brothel full of underage girls from her property in a respectable Salisbury street.

Winchester Crown Court heard that Forde – who according to sources used several names and was known to some customers as 'Madame Ling-Ling' - trained runaway children as call girls.

The court was told that one 15-year-old had sex with five men at once and lost count of the number of times she sold herself for sex while under Forde's control.

It also heard that Forde had become a prostitute three years earlier but she denied recruiting young girls for the trade, claiming she was capable of servicing her customers herself.

In 2009, Forde was jailed for five years for inciting prostitution and running a brothel on a residential street in Salisbury, a property which she still owns.

One 13-year-old girl would go straight from school to the brothel, which was advertised as The Oriental Massage Parlour, where she would sell her body to clients.

Forde pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years for keeping a brothel, 18 months for causing or inciting prostitution and six months for perverting the course of justice.

Speaking at the time, WDC Jill Harkness, who coaxed the victims to give evidence, said: 'Myra Ling-Ling Forde was extremely manipulative and ruthless and used her influence over the girls to get them to do exactly what she wanted.

'They suffered a terrible ordeal.'

After leaving prison, Forde lodged at a terraced house in North West London.

A woman who answered the door last night identified her from a 2009 photo in the Salisbury Journal, and said she had stayed with them for two or three years. But she said she had moved out, about two years ago, to Kilburn in north London.

Myra Ling Ling Forde (above) apparently threatened to expose Sir Edward Heath as a paedophile in the 1990s

Forde was subsequently convicted in 1995 of running a brothel full of underage girls from this Salisbury property

Sir Edward outside his home in Salisbury, Wiltshire, in 1992 - just one mile from where Forde operated a brothel

Asked if Forde knew anything about Sir Edward Heath, the woman said: 'That's not for me to say. She did know a lot of politicians and celebrities.'

At the Kilburn address, a ground floor flat in a large block run by Brent Housing Partnership, there was no answer. A security guard said she had moved out about a week ago.

Forde's sister Mia Pablico told the Telegraph's Martin Evans that she 'knew a lot of politicians'.

When asked if she ever mentioned the name Ted Heath, she said: 'That's not for me to say. You'd have to ask her.

'I know what she did in Salisbury and she knew a lot of politicians and celebrities because of it.'

Meanwhile, the former chief prosecutor for the Wiltshire area denied any knowledge of child sex allegations concerning Sir Edward Heath in the 1990s, and any cover-up involving the Crown Prosecution Service.

Harry Ireland, who made key charging decisions in the county between 1990 and 1999, told the Daily Mail: 'If such a case had been sent to the CPS, I would certainly have known but I haven't got a clue.

'Anything which was even remotely high profile would have come across my desk.'

Last night, a close friend of Forde's family said she first came to the UK to study as a nurse but started running a brothel when her husband John left her 'destitute' with two sons aged under two.

The friend said: 'She used to boast that many of her clients at the brothel were policemen. But she never spoke about any politicians visiting.

'The children wanted for nothing materially, they had the latest trainers and games consoles but they lacked the emotional support of a loving mother.'

Allegation: Ted Heath has been accused of raping a 12-year-old boy who said he worked out his identity after seeing a picture of him with Margaret Thatcher (right) and Dame Pat Hornsby Smith (left). This appears to be the picture he described

Claim: The accusation emerged after it was revealed police are being investigated over claims they covered up child sex allegations against the former Tory leader (pictured alongside paedophile Jimmy Savile)

Probes: Sir Edward is being investigated by five police forces: Wiltshire, Hampshire, Kent, Jersey and the Met

The Independent Police Complaints Commission is now considering whether Wiltshire Police failed to properly investigate this child sex abuse claim against Sir Edward.

A retired senior officer claims that when the suspect alleged that Sir Edward was involved in child sex offences, and she planned to expose him, officers then dropped the case against her.

As well as investigating this allegation, the IPCC will look into whether the claims about Sir Edward were ever looked at by the Wiltshire force.

However, it will not examine whether the claims aimed at Sir Edward were credible.

Ocean wave: At the helm of his yacht Morning Cloud in 1975, months after being ousted as Tory leader. It is alleged he took boys from Jersey on his yacht

At least five police forces are investigating child sex allegations involving Sir Edward Heath, it emerged last night.

It comes a day after the launch of an inquiry into an alleged cover-up of historical paedophile claims against the former prime minister.

Wiltshire Police appealed on Monday for potential victims of Sir Edward to come forward and 'not suffer in silence'.

Last night the force, which is being investigated over claims its officers covered up child sex allegations against Sir Edward in the 1990s, said it had received 'a number of calls'.

Friends of the politician claimed he was the victim of a smear campaign and predicted he would be vindicated on all the allegations.

Reports emerged yesterday that Sir Edward is being looked at as part of Operation Midland, a Scotland Yard inquiry into claims a VIP paedophile ring operated in the 1970s and 1980s.

States of Jersey Police (SoJP) confirmed the ex-PM features in Operation Whistle, an inquiry into alleged historical abuse on the island. It was launched in June as part of Operation Hydrant, a UK-wide co-ordination of sex abuse investigations. Later, Kent Police said it had received a report of a sexual assault in the east of the county in the 1960s. A spokesman said: 'The victim has named Sir Edward Heath in connection with the allegation. Detectives are making initial inquiries and will obtain a full account from the victim.'

Wiltshire Police said its officers and the NSPCC received 'a number of calls' following appeals for information. The force said in a statement: 'The investigation team will be reviewing the information and following up any lines of inquiry.'

A spokesman said the force were unable to confirm how many people had made contact and the 'validity' of the calls was not yet known.

It came as a 65-year-old man claimed Sir Edward picked him up as a 12-year-old while hitching for a lift after running away from home.

He says he was walking along the A2 in north Kent in 1961 when the former prime minister slowed down and asked if he wanted to stay at his flat in Mayfair.

It was only four years later he recognised Sir Edward as his alleged abuser when he saw a photo of him in the paper sharing a joke with Margaret Thatcher and Tory peer Dame Pat Hornsby Smith.

He claims two months after the alleged attack he went to the authorities who dismissed him as a 'fantasist' and a 'liar'.

Leader: Grammar school boy Ted Heath, left in 1973 and right in 1974, rose to become prime minister between 1970 and 1974 and was later replaced as Tory leader by Margaret Thatcher

Scandal: Wiltshire Police have urged witnesses to come forward if they were abused or have evidence that others were abused

The alleged rape victim who came forward claims he was also abused by his father and his paedophile friends.

He says after the alleged attack by Sir Edward he spiralled into depression and became a rent boy.

Recalling the alleged attack, the man told the Daily Mirror: 'I think it was about August 1961 when I ran away again....I decided to hitch a lift.

'I stuck my thumb out as I walked....when a car pulled up and the window was lowered and the driver asked me where I was going. I told him the West End (of London) and he told me to get in the car.

'He was asking me why I was on my own and I told him I wanted to have time on my own and that I came to London on my own a lot and my mum wasn't worried.'

The man added: 'He asked me if I had somewhere to stay to which I replied in the negative. He said if I wanted to I could stay at his place for the night.

'I was grateful and accepted but knew that he hadn't asked out of generosity and that I would have to pay, probably with my body but it didn't bother me, as I had been using my body for over five years now and it was almost second nature.'

After being offered tea and sandwiches he claims the future prime minister, then a rising star of the Tory party, asked if he minded 'sharing a bed'. He claims it was then Sir Edward had sex with him.

After his account was apparently rejected by social workers and police, he told his mother about his claims in 1965 after seeing Sir Edward in the paper.

He told: 'The man in this picture raped me, mum'.

The stretch of road where the man claims he was picked up by Sir Edward was on the A2 in north Kent, close to the former Tory leader's Bexley constituency.

It is also thought to be around two miles from where the former Tory MP was allegedly warned by police in the 1950s to stop 'cottaging' (going to public places) for gay sex.