The woman who allegedly threatened to expose Sir Edward Heath as a paedophile has been named as Myra Ling-Ling Forde – a twice-convicted brothel keeper.
The 67-year-old ran brothels in Salisbury where the former prime minister made his home after leaving office.
Her name was published by The Daily Telegraph, which said it had been confirmed by sources close to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) investigation into Wiltshire Police’s handling of the allegations against Sir Edward.
In the early 1990s it is alleged that a prosecution against Ms Forde was dropped after she threatened to expose Sir Edward as a paedophile.
Edward Heath - Life in pictures
However, claims of a cover-up could be challenged by the fact that she was subsequently convicted – twice – on prostitution offences, without making public any allegations against the former prime minister.
During her 1995 trial at Winchester Crown Court, Ms Forde said that she had become a prostitute after falling behind on her mortgage payments a few years earlier.
She later began recruiting underage girls to work with her at the brothel she ran from her home, known as the Oriental Massage Parlour.
Targeting care homes she taught the girls how to talk to clients on the phone and have sex in front of porn films. She provided them with a price list for their services and put them to work, the court heard.
Read more:
Edward Heath 'child sex abuse claims': Full statement by the IPCC
Edward Health 'child sex claims': Wiltshire Police statement in full
One 13-year-old girl told authorities that she would go straight from school to sell her body, while a 15-year-old said she once had sex with five men at once. Although she denied the allegations, Forde was found guilty of controlling prostitutes and jailed.
After release she returned to the Salisbury property but was again arrested on suspicion of running a brothel after complaints from neighbours. In 2009, four years after Sir Edward’s death, she pleaded guilty to inciting prostitution and perverting the course of justice. As well as a five-year sentence, she was ordered to pay back £25,000.
The Telegraph reported that until a few weeks ago Forde been in Kilburn, north London. Her current whereabouts are unknown.
Around the country: Abuse claims accumulate
Arundells, the former home of Sir Edward in Salisbury, Wiltshire. It is alleged a prosecution against a brothel-keeper in the county was dropped after she threatened to expose Sir Edward as a paedophile (PA)
Park Lane in the 1960s. A man in his 60s has claimed he was raped by Sir Edward in a flat on the road when he was 12 (Rex)
Sir Edward in Broadstairs, Kent, in 1963. Police in the county have received an allegation of abuse relating to the 1960s (Getty)
