Earl’s fury at BBC bid to blame him in fake documents row
EARL Spencer could sue the BBC over claims he provided a bank statement used by Martin Bashir to secure his infamous interview with Diana.
Bashir’s scoop came after he commissioned a graphic designer to produce fake documents.
Former BBC director-general Tony Hall suggested that the princess’s brother was the source of the original material on which these were based.
Earl Spencer is said to be ‘furious’ at the attempt to blame him. He is also believed to be consulting lawyers.
A new Channel 4 documentary about the Panorama interview reveals that Lord Hall, then BBC head of news, wrote a memo to his board of governors suggesting Diana’s brother provided the statements Bashir used to
‘There’s simply no logic to it’
create forgeries. Last night a source close to the earl revealed: ‘It would not be an understatement to say he is furious and is consulting his lawyers.’
A friend said: ‘ Why would he even have bank statements belonging to someone else?
‘There’s simply no logic to it! They have entered fantasy land... they had a chance to ask him about this but the BBC never did.’
Bashir is believed to have initially used the documents to gain the trust of the earl himself – who then introduced the reporter to Diana.
Bashir had commissioned a graphic artist to mock up the statements, which suggested the earl’s head of security, Alan Waller, was taking payments f rom a newspaper group and an offshore firm reportedly linked to MI5.
An internal inquiry into the scandal in 1996 saw the BBC clear itself of any wrongdoing. The result came after Lord Hall told the board of governors that Bashir went to see Diana’s brother, and ‘Earl
Spencer.... showed him some documents i ncluding this man’s bank statement’.
Earl Spencer dismissed this version of events, telling the Mail: ‘This suggests I unlawfully gave someone’s bank details to him. This is a lie.’
Lord Hall’s memo and other related documents were only released under Freedom of Information laws thanks to the persistence of Channel 4 documentary maker Andy Webb. He first asked for the files 13 years ago, but was told they did not exist.
Mr Waller has confirmed the supposedly incriminating payments on the forged bank statements never happened.
He says his life has been ruined by Bashir – now the BBC’s religion editor – and is considering a complaint to the police over the scandal.
Lord Hall has not answered questions about the affair, beyond saying the BBC needs to get to the bottom of it. He is expected to take part in the new probe run by a former Supreme Court judge. The BBC has pledged that the inquiry will examine all available evidence – including a long-lost letter from Diana herself, in which she reportedly said she ‘gave the interview freely and was not influenced by any documents’.
A BBC spokesman said: ‘The BBC is determined to get to the truth of what happened. That’s why we have appointed Lord Dyson to lead a fully independent investigation. It is vital that everyone with information shares that, so he can investigate thoroughly.’
Bashir did not respond to requests for comment.
The Diana Interview: The Truth Behind The Scandal is on Channel 4 at 8pm tonight.