Met chief warns Bashir could face police probe
BRITAIN’S most senior police officer has not ruled out a criminal investigation into the BBC’s Princess Diana scandal.
But Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said yesterday the force had not yet received a complaint from anyone to assess.
Her remarks came as the BBC announced the head of its new inquiry would take ‘appropriate steps’ if he uncovered criminality. Lord Dyson was appointed to probe allegations Martin Bashir used rogue tactics to trick Diana into her infamous Panorama interview.
The former Supreme Court judge was yesterday dubbed ‘The Investigator’ in new documents from the BBC giving more details on how his inquiry will operate. A key question is what will happen if his investigation finds evidence of a crime, as Bashir is alleged to have forged bank statements and spun a web of lies to clinch his historic scoop.
The earl’s head of security, Alan Waller, last week said he is considering making a complaint to police after Bashir’s forged documents wrongly showed he had been taking payments from the press.
Asked about a potential criminal investigation, Dame Cressida said: ‘We have not received a complaint from somebody who is giving us any evidence for us to assess. So, if they were to, we would of course assess whether any crime has been committed or may appear to have been committed and, if so, whether it is appropriate for us to do an investigation.’
Yesterday also saw the BBC launch a new website, The Dyson Investigation, to provide more details on how the inquiry will proceed.
In the ‘frequently asked questions’ section, one entry reads: ‘What will happen if the investigation finds evidence of criminality?’ The answer given is: ‘If there is any evidence of criminality Lord Dyson will consider what appropriate steps to take.’
Last night Dai Davies, former head of royal security at Scotland Yard, said: ‘There is only one appropriate step to take if he finds criminality, and that is to phone the police. But this throws up huge questions. Will he [do so] straight away? Or will he wait until he’s finished his inquiry?
‘By law, any “investigator” who suspects a crime is duty bound to caution the person they are interviewing. Is Lord Dyson going to be reading his witnesses their rights to remain silent?’ Mr Bashir, 57, will be a star witness – if he agrees to take part. The new website admits Lord Dyson has no power to compel anyone to talk to him. According to Diana’s brother Earl Spencer, Mr Bashir peddled 32 lies about royals and courtiers supposedly betraying her to newspapers and MI5 to draw the princess into his confidence.
The resulting Panorama interview in 1995, in which she notoriously declared ‘there were three of us in this marriage’, remains one of the BBC’s most sensational scoops.
As well as The Investigator, the new website names others who will be involved in the probe.
Glyn I sherwood, t he BBC’s £335,000 chief financial officer, will be ‘The Investigation Sponsor’. His role is to ensure the retired judge has all the assistance he needs.
Sarah Jones, a lawyer at the corporation, is ‘Investigation Respondent’, responsible for advising the BBC on how to answer questions.
The BBC said the inquiry was fully independent. However, Lord Dyson will have to send a message to a dedicated email inbox set up by the corporation when requesting documents and information.
If he wants to meet current or former BBC staff, he will also have to notify the broadcaster using this email address and attach a letter for it to pass on to them.
‘Only one step if criminality’