Lord Dyson’s report into Martin Bashir’s 1995 interview with Princess Diana has found that the BBC effectively covered up the journalist’s deception for years. The report is highly critical of Bashir, who used fake bank statements to gain access to Diana through her brother, Earl Spencer.
Dyson concluded that Bashir commissioned phoney transactions to suggest payments from News International to a former security guard, Alan Waller, in order to exploit Spencer’s fears about press leaks. Bashir also forged statements implying Prince Charles’s private secretary was being paid by hostile forces. Dyson dismissed Bashir’s claims of a prior relationship with Diana as “incredible” and “unreliable”.
The report also criticises Tony Hall, then head of BBC news and now chair of the National Gallery, for presiding over a 1996 internal review that exonerated Bashir. Dyson found that review was “based in large part on the uncorroborated assertion” of Bashir and was “not justified”. Hall had initially praised Bashir for the interview.
Despite Bashir’s tactics, Dyson noted that Diana was already keen on a television interview. The BBC has a handwritten note from Diana stating the documents played no part in her decision. Bashir maintains the bank statements had no bearing on Diana’s choice.
