Terror police 'probed royal case'

Ian Strachan (above) and Sean McGuigan deny blackmail charges

Anti-terror police were called in to deal with a royal gay sex blackmail investigation, a court has heard.

The Old Bailey was told that Det Insp Paul Harty led a team of 30 officers after being contacted by the royal protection department last August.

Police obtained £50,000 of public money in case the alleged blackmailers asked to see the cash, the court heard.

Ian Strachan, 31, and Sean McGuigan, 41, both of London, deny blackmailing a Royal Family member known as Witness A.

'Written agreement'

Det Insp Harty told the jury that a demand for money was only "implicit", and that the cash had never been shown to the defendants.

The officer, a member of the SO15 counter-terrorism unit, said the inquiry was launched on 29 August.

He told the court: "Because royalty protection don't have their own investigative wing, there is a written agreement that we will assist on certain investigations for them."

Det Insp Harty said SO15 would not normally deal with blackmail cases.

Ronald Thwaites QC, representing Mr McGuigan, said: "The treatment of this case was different because it came to you in circumstances where it wouldn't otherwise do so as a result of the person involved being a member of the Royal Family?"

Det Insp Harty replied: "As a result of the written agreement, a policy."

He said he met Witness A on 3 September and a statement was taken from him two days later.

After a further six days a "sting" operation was conducted in room 713 of the Hilton Hotel in London's Park Lane.

During the operation an officer was in possession of £50,000 which could be "flashed to the suspects" if necessary.

Denying that the 80-minute meeting had failed, Det Insp Harty told the court there had been an "implicit demand for money".

Sex claim

The court has heard that Mr Strachan and Mr McGuigan used a mobile phone to record several allegations about Witness A made by a royal employee, known as Witness D.

The claims included Witness A performing a sex act on Witness D and other "scandalous" comments about the Royal Family.

The court also heard that Witness D claimed on the recordings that the member of the Royal Family tried to "feel him up".

The defendants are alleged to have tried to blackmail Witness A, after failing to sell the recordings to newspapers.

Mr Strachan, of Fulham, and Mr McGuigan, of Battersea, are charged with making "an unwarranted demand with menaces" of £50,000.

The trial was adjourned until Wednesday.