Child abuse scandal: Did a botched blackmail attempt by South African intelligence help Cyril Smith escape justice?

‘A botched attempt by South African intelligence to blackmail Cyril Smith over his sexual abuse of boys may have helped the politician escape justice.

British police became aware of the plot in the mid-1970s while questioning a man over an art theft. He was subsequently convicted for possession of stolen goods.

The individual, who cannot be named, told police he had film footage of Smith sexually abusing boys. Detectives established that the man had links with the South African embassy in London and appeared to be working on behalf of Boss, the notorious apartheid-era intelligence agency, which was attempting to undermine Liberal MPs and others they regarded as unsympathetic to the regime.’

Read more: Child abuse scandal: Did a botched blackmail attempt by South African intelligence help Cyril Smith escape justice?