There will be no criminal investigation into BBC journalist Martin Bashir's interview with Princess Diana on Panorama. The decision came after the Metropolitan Police investigated the Lord Dyson report on the 1995 program in which the journalist sat down with the royal.
Scotland Yard has announced that it will not launch an investigation into his world-famous exclusive interview. After reviewing Lord Dyson's assessment into the 1995 BBC Panorama documentary, the force came to the conclusion that the broadcaster covered up the "deceptive behavior" that obtained the scoop.
After reviewing the investigation concerning Bashir's historic sit-down with the royal, the Metropolitan Police made the statement, MIRROR reported. Scotland Yard had previously stated in March that it would not pursue a criminal inquiry into the interview but that it had reviewed the contents of the Dyson report two months later.
Martyn Bashir's "deceitful" interview with Princess Diana
Bashir's previous employment with the BBC had been called into question as claims surfaced regarding how he obtained the now-famous Princess Diana interview. The late princess revealed her troubled marriage to Prince Charles during a shocking interview two years before her death.
Per NY Post, Bashir obtained the 1995 interview by falsifying financial papers and lying about Lady Di being tapped by security agencies. More than 23 million people viewed the interview.
Princess Diana talked of how "there were three of us in this marriage," referring to her husband, Prince Charles, and his now-wife, Camilla Parker-Bowles. It was the greatest blow to the monarchy in years.
Princess Diana's sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, as well as her brother, Charles Spencer, have all claimed that the interview's aftermath contributed to her death in a Paris car accident in August 1997.
Bashir resigned as BBC religion editor hours before the Dyson report was released, citing health concerns. The BBC has made a "full and unequivocal apologies" for the manner in which the interview was acquired.
Diana's brother, Earl Spencer, wrote to Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick, requesting that the force investigate the Corporation in an attempt to compel the Met into conducting a comprehensive investigation into how Martyn Bashir persuaded the princess to consent to the broadcast.
Officials argue criminal investigation is inappropriate
The investigation threw the BBC into one of the most serious crises in its history, with Princess Diana's two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, accusing the broadcaster of destroying their mother's life with its "deceitful" exclusive and contributing to the sad chain of events that led to her death in 1997.
However, Scotland Yard said today that it was "not appropriate to commence a criminal investigation into claims of unlawful behavior in connection with a documentary broadcast in 1995" in a statement on the independent report.
Earl Spencer is said to have written to Dame Cressida in January and has maintained contact with Commander Alex Murray, the leader of the specialized crime unit.
Earl Spencer claimed to have committed many felonies, according to an acquaintance. Princess Diana's brother felt Bashir had built a web of falsehoods around his vulnerable sister and had created "coercive control over her."
He says the rogue BBC reporter and his bosses committed coercion, fraud, and acquiring property by deceit by instilling fear in her mind and misleading her into the interview. Spencer believes the company profited when rights to the spectacular interview were sold across the world, as per Daily Mail.
