Gilligan back for second day of cross-examination
The BBC defence correspondent is due to face the Hutton Inquiry into the death of Dr David Kelly for the second day in a row today.
Mr Gilligan, who was cross-examined before the inquiry panel by lawyers for the reporter, the Government and the Kelly family, will be asked further questions regarding his conversations wiyh Dr Kelly.
The Today programme journalist admitted yesterday, during lengthy questioning at the Royal Courts of Justice, that he had made “errors” in reporting conversations he had held with Dr Kelly.
He denied, however, that he had planted Alastair Campbell’s name in the frame as the man responsible for doctoring the Government’s September dossier on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, and insisted that the scientist had named Campbell himself.
Mr Gilligan also apologised for e-mailing an MP on the Foreign Affairs Committee about his interviews with Dr Kelly.
BBC director of news Richard Sambrook gave evidence for a second time on Wednesday and admitted that there were errors in the BBC’s response to the Government’s complaints about the dossier story. He said he had been under “considerable pressure” after Downing Street press chief Alastair Campbell demanded an immediate response.
However, he defended references to Dr Kelly as a senior member of the intelligence service as an attempt to protect the Ministry of Defence official from being identified as the source behind Mr Gilligan’s reports.
The Ministry of Defence is also in the spotlight today as director of news Pam Teare appears for a second time to give evidence.
Ms Teare is expected to face stern questioning over the methods used by the ministry to name Dr Kelly as Mr Gilligan’s source. She was one of the key figures involved in drawing up a press statement saying that an unnamed official had come forward as a possible source for the BBC reports.
Ms Teare was also involved in drawing up a briefing note for press officers dealing with queries from journalists over the ‘sexed up’ dossier row, in which she advised officers to confirm Dr Kelly’s identity if journalists came up with the correct name.
Ministry of Defence director of personnel Richard Hatfield will also reappear on Thursday as part of the second phase of Lord Hutton’s inquiry. He began testifying for the second time on Wednesday about two interviews held with Dr Kelly at which the former weapons inspector said he was not sure he was the source for the BBC’s story.
He told the inquiry that he had warned Dr Kelly he would face disciplinary action if anything called his account into question but insisted that the scientist’s pension had not been put under threat.
Dr Kelly apparently committed suicide days after being grilled by the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee over his conversations with Mr Gilligan, after his name was made public as the ‘source’ for the BBC Today programme reports.
The Ministry of Defence officials will face tough questioning from the Kelly family’s lawyer Jeremy Gompertz QC over the strategy used to name the arms expert.
Two forensic computer experts who examined the electronic personal organiser used by Mr Gilligan to record his meeting with Dr Kelly will also give evidence today.
