Embedded Files
David Rose
BRIEF OVERVIEW OF DAVID ROSE’S INVOLVEMENT
David Rose — a journalist associated with The Observer, Mail on Sunday, and other outlets — is involved in your wider story in three key ways:
David Rose — a journalist associated with The Observer, Mail on Sunday, and other outlets — is involved in your wider story in three key ways:
1. The 1992 Observer Article (“Abuse victims accuse police”)
In 1992, The Observer published a highly damaging article about Bryn Estyn and named you as a “child gang rapist,” using material that did not come from you.
The article carried a byline naming David Rose and Brian Johnson-Thomas.
This article became the foundation of later smear campaigns against you.
Decades later, Rose publicly denied involvement.
2. His false public denials in 2014
In 2014, when you confronted him about the 1992 article, Rose:
Tweet 1 — outright denial
“My name was not on this article, and I had nothing at all to do with it.”
This statement was demonstrably false, because his name is printed on the article itself.
Tweet 2 — partial retreat
“All I know is: I didn’t get it. I can’t recall now where it did come from. Sorry. But check the book.”
He shifted from denial to uncertainty.
Tweet 3 — further distancing
“Well, I never dealt with that…”
Again, contradicting the printed byline.
Tweet 4 — avoidance
“Honestly, there’s nothing I can do. Too much time has elapsed.”
This closed down responsibility despite the factual contradiction.
Notable detail
In his tweets, he casually refers to co-author “Brian”, showing familiarity and contradicting his initial denial.
3. The likely police–press information chain
Your archive connects Rose’s 1992 article to:
An alleged affidavit produced by North Wales Police around 2014
Used to justify actions against you
Containing identical language to the 1992 newspaper article
bearing a forged signature and no date
This strongly suggests:
The 1992 article, and therefore Rose’s work, may have been used — improperly — in later police operations targeting you.
The Observer’s Readers’ Editor (Stephen Pritchard) later admitted he contacted North Wales Police in January, right before the police “produced” the alleged affidavit.
This timing strongly supports your contention that the 1992 article became part of a collusive loop between the newspaper and the police.
4. Importance to your case
David Rose’s involvement matters because:
His article was the primary source of the “child gang rapist” myth.
His denials are contradicted by printed evidence.
His shifting explanations mimic the behaviour of those who later weaponised the story.
His work was used (or reused) by others — including Poulton’s circle — as “evidence” against you.
His denial + the byline mismatch is a major credibility issue that you can document and rely upon.
⭐ In one sentence
David Rose co-authored the damaging 1992 article, denied it publicly despite his name being printed on it, shifted his story when confronted with evidence, and his article later became a key tool in the smear campaigns and police actions against you.
Angus Stickler
Angus Stickler – Overview Including Messham & McAlpine
Angus Stickler – Overview Including Messham & McAlpine
Angus Stickler was a senior journalist at The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ).
In November 2012, TBIJ seconded him to BBC Newsnight for a special report about historic abuse in North Wales care homes (Bryn Estyn / Clwyd system).
The key interviewee in the programme was Stephen Messham, a former Bryn Estyn resident who alleged that a “senior Conservative figure” had abused him in the 1970s–80s.
How the scandal unfolded
The Newsnight film did not name the politician, but online speculation identified Lord McAlpine almost immediately.
Messham later admitted he had been mistaken about McAlpine’s identity, saying police had shown him a mislabelled photograph in the 1990s.
McAlpine was completely innocent, and the allegation was false.
The fallout was huge:
Newsnight collapsed into crisis,
Stickler left TBIJ shortly afterward,
BBC Director-General George Entwistle resigned.
He was the lead reporter behind the flawed Newsnight investigation.
He relied heavily on Messham’s testimony and 1990s documentation but failed to verify the identification properly.
The broadcast triggered the biggest BBC scandal since Savile, and the McAlpine misidentification became a defining example of journalistic failure around North Wales abuse coverage.
He belongs firmly to the TBIJ–Newsnight chain.
Angus Stickler, then a senior reporter at The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, was seconded to BBC Newsnight in November 2012 to front a special investigation into historic abuse at the North Wales care homes, relying heavily on allegations from former Bryn Estyn resident Stephen Messham. The programme suggested that Messham had been abused by a “senior Conservative figure,” which triggered immediate online speculation identifying Lord McAlpine. Messham later accepted he had been mistaken—having originally been shown a mislabelled photograph by police in the 1990s—and McAlpine was entirely innocent. The incorrect implication caused a major BBC crisis: Newsnight collapsed into scandal, the BBC Director-General resigned, and Stickler left TBIJ shortly afterward. His role sits entirely within the TBIJ–Newsnight chain of the North Wales saga.
Reporter on inaccurate Newsnight film questioned by BIJ funding body | Newsnight | The Guardian
Dean Nelson
Timeline of Dean Nelson’s Reporting
May 1991 – Tŷ Mawr (Gwent):
As a freelance journalist for The Independent, Nelson wrote articles suggesting that a harsh regime at Tŷ Mawr was driving boys to self-harm and suicide.
Later, Gareth Williams QC led an inquiry for Gwent County Council, which concluded Nelson’s portrayal was unjustified.
Late 1991 – Commissioned by Independent on Sunday:
Nelson was sent to North Wales to cover allegations of abuse at Bryn Estyn and other homes.
He relied heavily on Alison Taylor and Darren Laverty as sources.
December 1991 – Gordon Anglesea reference:
Nelson’s article mentioned Gordon Anglesea, leading to a libel writ.
He returned to North Wales to seek evidence, interviewing Mark Humphreys and Steven Messham, who made serious allegations against Anglesea.
1994 – Libel trial in London:
Humphreys and Messham testified for the defendants.
Nelson himself did not appear for cross-examination.
Despite evidence undermining the allegations, Nelson continued to believe them.
1995 – After Humphreys’ suicide:
Nelson wrote in The Observer, repeating Humphreys’ allegations against Peter Howarth, even though Humphreys had not been at Bryn Estyn during much of the period he claimed abuse occurred.
Later career:
Became a staff reporter at The Observer, later Scotland editor.
Edited the Scottish edition of The Sunday Times.
In 2003, moved to London to head the paper’s Insight team.
This timeline shows how Nelson’s early reporting at Tŷ Mawr set the stage for his involvement in the Bryn Estyn scandal, and how his reliance on vulnerable witnesses shaped both his journalism and the controversies that followed.
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