BBC reporter wins libel case against Kent Police
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The undercover reporter Donal MacIntyre and his BBC production team were given an unreserved apology and substantial damages by Kent Police yesterday after settling a libel action out of court.
The journalist said he was "delighted that we have been completely vindicated" over the force's criticism of his investigation into the treatment of residents at a care home.
It is thought to be the first time police have paid out in a libel case. The settlement is understood to consist of combined costs of £600,000 plus £15,000 damages. Mr MacIntyre is giving the money to two charities for people with learning disabilities.
In an edition of his 1999 series MacIntyre Uncovered, the reporter worked at the Brompton care home in Gillingham, Kent, and filmed secretly to expose the practices of staff. At the time of the broadcast, he said the programme showed a home "where some of society's most vulnerable are assaulted by those looking after them."
The findings caused uproar and led to an investigation by Kent Police. But after the inquiry, which led to two workers being cautioned for criminal assault, police said the programme was "misleading". The care home was largely exonerated of the BBC's charges.
MacIntyre sued, and yesterday the force agreed in a High Court statement that its comments had been unjustified and incorrect.