Martin Bashir Diana interview: BBC pays compensation to aide Patrick Jephson

The BBC has paid a “substantial sum” in damages to Diana, Princess of Wales’s former private secretary for the “harm caused” by Martin Bashir’s Panorama interview.

The corporation said it apologized unreservedly to Patrick Jephson and paid his legal costs.

The 1995 interview was the subject of an investigation that found Bashir used false documents to gain access to Diana.

Jephson intends to donate the money to UK charities, the BBC said.

Lord Dyson, a former master of the scrolls and civil justice chief, was appointed to investigate the circumstances surrounding the Panorama programme, which featured Diana saying, “Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.” .”

The investigation was launched after Earl Spencer, Diana’s brother, alleged that Bashir showed him false financial documents related to Diana’s former private secretary and another former member of the royal family, and told outlandish and false stories about the royal family in order to have access to the princess.

Jephson was Diana’s private secretary for eight years.

In a statement, the BBC said: “The BBC accepts and acknowledges that serious harm was caused to Commander Jephson as a result of the circumstances in which the 1995 interview with Diana, Princess of Wales was obtained, which have become apparent as result of the Dyson Report.

“The BBC apologizes unreservedly to Commander Jephson for the harm it has caused him and has paid legal costs.

“The BBC has also paid Commander Jephson a substantial sum in damages, which he intends to donate entirely to British charities nominated by him.”

The Dyson Inquiry found that the BBC covered up the “misleading behaviour” used by Mr Bashir to secure his world-exclusive interview with Diana, and “failed to meet high standards of integrity and transparency”.

The journalist, who became the BBC’s religion editor before leaving the corporation last year, seriously breached the BBC’s production guidelines when he falsified bank statements and showed them to Earl Spencer to gain access to the princess in 1995. Lord Dyson’s report said.

It comes after a designer who said he “became a scapegoat” after Bashir asked him to falsify documents has struck a deal with the BBC.

Bashir previously said mocking the documents “was a stupid thing to do” and regretted it, but said they had not influenced Diana’s decision to be interviewed.