A police force has confirmed it is checking its records for any mention of Sir Edward Heath after a photograph emerged of him meeting Peter Jaconelli, a suspected paedophile and friend of Jimmy Savile.
Last year, North Yorkshire Police announced that Jaconelli – a flamboyant ice cream magnate and mayor of Scarborough – would have been prosecuted for sex offences along with Savile if he had still been alive.
The photo from the 1970s shows Sir Edward shaking hands with Jaconelli, who died in 1999. The pair are taking part in a civic engagement and are surrounded by crowds.
In a statement, the force said: “To clarify, North Yorkshire Police is not currently investigating any complaints linked to Edward Heath.
“We are however undertaking a comprehensive search of force systems to assess if there is any information or intelligence held in relation to Mr Heath.
“Until this work has been completed, it would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage.”
Last year, the force apologised to victims of Savile and Jaconelli after concluding that officers missed opportunities to properly investigate the two men over alleged child abuse when they were still alive.
The force said 35 people had come forward with allegations about the pair.
A spokesman said 32 cases related to Jaconelli, between 1958 and 1998, and included allegations of indecent assault, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, gross indecency and rape.
In the case of Savile, there were five reported offences, from 1979 to 1988, which ranged from sexual assault to rape. Two people claimed to be victims of both men.
The spokesman said at the time: “Sufficient evidence has been uncovered to suggest that, had they been alive today, files would have been submitted for consideration by the Crown Prosecution Service regarding potential criminal charges against Peter Jaconelli and Jimmy Savile, relating to young people.”