Thread by @bbcsimonwarr

Back in court live tweeting from the #CarlBeech trial in Newcastle.

HH Judge Goss has stated he will certainly finish his directions to the jury by 'close of play' tomorrow. He begins in a few minutes.

HHJ Goss begins: ‘Public awareness of both contemporary & historical abuse has risen during the past decade.

Each case is fact specific. This is an unusual case as this is the reverse of the norm. The complainant is on trial.’

‘He has been accused of lying consistently about some of the most grotesque crimes imaginable.

It is your task and yours alone to decide what evidence is true and reliable and those facts which are not true and unreliable.’

‘You must use your common sense and judgement to come to a conclusion and not allow your emotions to dictate your decisions.

You are not detectives, working out what did and did not happen.’

‘At the heart of the case is whether or not the defendant was or was not sexually and physically abused and whether or not he witnessed others suffering similar abuse.

Is Fred a real person or was he created by the defendant?’

‘A late complaint does not mean necessarily a false complaint.

Stereotypical reactions cannot be applied to those claiming they've been abused in the past. That's why you have to make your judgement based on the evidence which has been placed in front of you during this trial.’

‘You must take into consideration what the witnesses who have appeared during this trial have said.

The scale of events and gravity of allegations are at the extreme end and there can be no doubt the defendant is saying without equivocation the appalling abuse did take place.’

The judge proceeds to give the jury a brief history of Carl Beech's childhood: from
school to estate agent to nurse to care quality inspector.

He observes that Beech was a parent governor at his son's school.

The judge takes the jury through the locations (and dates) of the various premises where Beech lived and where the abuse is alleged to have taken place.

The judge gives a chronological account of the events since 2012, at the setting up of Operation Yewtree.

‘Beech contacted police re Savile, as it was being reported all the DJ's abuse concerned females. Beech claimed males were also involved.

Beech told the police he was scared of repercussions. At that point he mentioned only his step father and Jimmy Savile.’

‘He was told by the police his evidence must be accurate and true. Beech said later he couldn't bring himself at that point to include details of all the other abuse he had suffered.’

‘In 2016, when Beech destroyed all his notebooks, he said he did he did so on the advice of a police officer, as she said it would be cathartic for him. That officer denied ever giving him this advice.’

‘That officer had 121 counselling sessions with Beech between 2012 and 2016.

Beech admitted to being a badly behaved, lonely child.’

[Court rises for lunch. Back this afternoon.]

Amendment - this should read ‘counsellor’ NOT police officer. Apologies for confusion.