BBC Pays Libel Damages To Police Over Five Live Broadcast

The BBC has paid "substantial" libel damages and apologized to eight METROPOLITAN POLICE officers over comments made on NICKY CAMPBELL's BBC RADIO FIVE LIVE show by the family of a man who died in police custody. 

The DECEMBER 2000 show included claims by the family of ROGER SYLVESTER and a supporter that SYLVESTER's JANUARY 1999 death constituted unlawful killing; SYLVESTER, who was mentally ill, was taken into custody after being found naked in a TOTTENHAM street and taken to a hospital, where he fought with police and suffered cardiac arrest. AN initial inquest ruling that the death was an "unlawful killing" was overturned by the court, and prosecutors decided no tot bring charges against the eight officers involved in the incident.

« see more Net News