Lord Brittan had led a long and distinguished public life, including serving as Home Secretary under Margaret Thatcher - but as he lay desperately ill in hospital with terminal cancer, he was swept up in a witch hunt based on foul and baseless allegations of child abuse from a deluded liar and paedophile, and cheered on by senior politicians including Tom Watson. Award-winning crime writer Stephen Wright talks to his widow, Lady Brittan, on the devastating effect the allegations had in her husband’s final weeks - and the questions it raises on how the police treat famous people falsely accused of the worst crimes imaginable. Producer: Rosie Gillott

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