Saturday 4 June 2022 10:55 PM Former Earl Spencer aide sues BBC over fake bank statements used to secure ... trends now
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Earl Spencer’s former head of security is suing the BBC for damages after his bank statements were forged by Martin Bashir to help secure the now-discredited Princess Diana interview.
Alan Waller was left ‘deeply distressed’ by the Panorama reporter’s deceitful tactics, according to documents filed at the High Court. The 59-year-old says his business ventures suffered when his name was linked to the scandal.
While the BBC has compensated many others affected, including graphic artist Matt Wiessler who mocked up the fake documents on Bashir’s instructions, Mr Waller says he has been forced to take the Corporation to court because it refuses to settle his claim, or even engage with him in a ‘meaningful’ way.
He is seeking £60,000 damages and an apology and says he feels ‘like a scapegoat’ even though he did nothing wrong. Bashir used the statements as evidence Mr Waller was receiving money from a tabloid newspaper and the security services to spy on Earl Spencer and Diana – but the claims were false.
The High Court claim says Mr Waller ‘is deeply distressed and upset that the allegation was made to Earl Spencer and that the defamatory accusation persuaded Earl Spencer and the Princess to agree to the interview’.