BBC and Gilligan criticised over Dr Kelly's death
(Filed: 28/01/2004)

Lord Hutton has criticised reporter Andrew Gilligan, BBC management and governors in his report into the death of weapons expert Dr David Kelly.

	Lord Hutton arrives to deliver his report

The retired law lord read out a summary of his 328-page report's findings in Court 76 at the Royal Courts of Justice.

The inquiry was ordered after Dr Kelly's body was found dead in woods near his home after his name was linked to a news report by the BBC journalist.

He ruled that there was no "underhand" Government strategy to release Dr Kelly's name into the public domain in its battle with the BBC over Mr Gilligan's claims on Radio 4's Today programme.

Mr Gilligan said the Government had "sexed-up" its dossier on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction by inserting intelligence probably knowing it to be wrong or questionable.

Lord Hutton said that both claims were "unfounded".

He criticised the BBC management system which had allowed them to be broadcast in the first place, saying that it was "defective" and said that the governors should have investigate the complaints from Alastair Campbell, the Prime Minister's former head of communications.

He ruled that the Government did "not behave in a dishonourable, underhand or duplicitous way" in confirming Dr Kelly's name.

He added that Tony Blair's comments to reporters on board his plane that he did not authorise the naming of Dr Kelly did not shed any light on his deliberations.

However, Lord Hutton said the Ministry of Defence "was at fault" for not telling Dr Kelly that his name was to be confirmed to the media.

He said said Dr Kelly's death was "a great tragedy" and described him as a "devoted husband and father and a public servant who served his country and the international community with great distinction".

Mr Blair later told the Commons that he fully accepted Lord Hutton's conclusions, saying they left "no room for doubt or interpretation".

He claimed that the report fully vindicated the Government and called on Michael Howard, the Tory leader, to withdraw accusations that he effectively lied to Parliament.

Mr Blair told MPs: "The allegation that I or anyone else lied to this House or deliberately misled the country by falsifying intelligence on WMD is itself the real lie.

"And I simply ask that those that made it and those who have repeated it over all this months now withdraw it, fully openly and clearly."

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