B.B.C. Fined £500

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31784, 14 September 1968, Page 13

B.B.C. Fined £500

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter —Copyright) LONDON, Sept. 13. The British Broadcasting Corporation has been fined £5OO for committing two breaches of the Criminal Justice Act, which restricts the reporting of committal proceedings. The case Is believed to be the first of its kind since 1967, when the act was introduced restricting coverage of evidence given at preliminary court proceedings unless the accused requests publicity. Two editors, Brian Bliss, of 8.8. C. Radio News Features, and Desmond Haxwell Taylor, of 8.8. C. Television News were discharged because they had received clearance, from the 8.8.C.’s legal department, of a news item.

The two men and the 8.8. C. itself had pleaded guilty. The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (Mr Frank Milton) said in his summing up: “In this case, it is rather difficult to assess a penalty because it is a token one only. The maxi-

mum that can be imposed is nothing at all to a corporation of this nature.” The offences were committed in May this year when 8.8. C. radio and television programmes carried reports of evidence given at committal proceedings.