Priti Patel refused to rule out prosecution after Diana’s interview report – which she said Bedford News

Priti Patel has refused to rule out criminal prosecution after Lord Dyson’s report was released into Martin Bashir’s explosive interview with Princess Diana.

The investigation revealed that the former BBC journalist had used “deceptive” tactics to obtain the exclusive 1995 Panorama special and that an internal investigation by the broadcaster had covered it up.

Lord Dyson has said Bashir was in “serious violation” of BBC rules when he ordered fake bank statements and showed them to Diana’s brother Earl Spencer to gain the Princess’s trust.

The 1996 internal investigation, led by former chief executive Lord Tony Hall, who was then director of news and current affairs for the BBC, exonerated Bashir, although he had previously admitted to lying about the false documents he he had used to get the interview.

Scotland Yard said it would assess the contents of the report to determine if it contains “significant new evidence”.

When asked about Sky News ‘Trevor Phillips on Sunday about the prospect of prosecution, the Home Secretary said:’ If there is any further action to be taken, then clearly – alongside the release of this report and the lessons learned and changes, changes to the institution, structure, governance, accountability – then that will follow. “

She said the BBC’s reputation had been “compromised” by the disclosures and suggested that governance and accountability could be “strengthened”.

She told the program that the next mid-term review of the BBC’s charter would be a “very, very important moment” for the company.

“There will be an opportunity not only for reflection, but also an opportunity to examine governance reforms and how accountability and governance can be effectively strengthened.

“There will be a very, very significant time now – there is no doubt – where lessons have to be learned.”

She added that it was important for the company to restore trust and confidence, saying: “The BBC itself – one of our great institutions – its reputation has been compromised.

“They will have to reflect on the report themselves and spend a lot of time really looking at how they can regain and rebuild trust and confidence.

“They will have a lot of work to do in this particular area. Right now it’s a very, very important time for the BBC to look at itself and learn very important lessons from the publication of this report. “

Bashir defended the historic interview, saying he “never wanted to harm” Diana with the program and didn’t believe it.

Speaking to the Sunday Times, he claimed Diana was not unhappy with what was said in the interview and maintained that the couple continued to be friends after it aired.

He said the princess even visited his wife Debroah at a London hospital on the day she gave birth to the couple’s third child.

While Bashir said he was “deeply sorry” for Prince William and Prince Harry, he dismissed the Duke of Cambridge’s claim that he had fueled Diana’s paranoia.

He told the newspaper: “I never meant to harm Diana in any way and I don’t think we did.

“Everything we did in terms of the interview was as she wanted it to be, from the moment she wanted to alert the palace, to the time of its airing, to its content… My family and I loved it.

He added: “Even in the early 1990s there were stories and secretly recorded phone calls. I was not behind any of this.

Diana’s brother Earl Spencer said he “draws a line” between the interview and his sister’s death, saying Bashir’s actions caused her to relinquish her royal security service.

Bashir, who left the BBC last week due to health concerns, said: ‘I don’t think I can be held responsible for most of the other things that were going on in his life and the complex issues surrounding those decisions. .

“I can understand the motivation [of Earl Spencer’s comments] but channeling the tragedy, the difficult relationship between the royal family and the media only on my shoulders seems a little unreasonable to me… The suggestion that I am singularly responsible, I think, is unreasonable and unfair.

Bashir ordered documents purported to show payments to members of the royal household’s bank accounts and showed them to Earl Spencer, according to Lord Dyson.

He said, “Obviously I regret it, it was wrong. But it had nothing to do with anything. It had no effect on [Diana], this had no effect on the maintenance.

Current managing director Tim Davie wrote to BBC staff on Friday: “I know we now have significantly stronger processes and governance in place to ensure that an event like this does not happen again. However, we also need to learn lessons and continue to improve. “