politics

BBC was warned of author’s claim to possess missing clothes of child murder victim

Corporation was told of claims by Christopher Berry-Dee that he had clothing, which was lost while in its possession

BBC was warned of author’s claim to possess missing clothes of child murder victim

TL;DR

  • Two whistleblowers alerted the BBC that author Christopher Berry-Dee claimed to have the lost clothes of child murder victim Karen Hadaway.
  • The clothes were lost by the BBC after being given to journalist Martin Bashir in 1991 for a possible documentary.
  • Berry-Dee had previously campaigned for the clothes' return and was accused of boasting about possessing them.
  • The BBC was informed of Berry-Dee's claims in 2022 but closed the case in 2023 without further action.
  • Berry-Dee confirmed to The Guardian that he had obtained the clothes and claimed to have burned them, but did not clarify the timeline.
  • The BBC previously apologized and settled with Karen Hadaway's mother for losing the clothes.