Thursday 30 December 2021
The BBC has said its interview with Jeffrey Epstein’s former lawyer, Alan Dershowitz was “not suitable” following the conviction of British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell.
The corporation said it was investigating after an interview with the high-profile US lawyer, who represented paedophile Epstein, was aired on Wednesday.
Mr Dershowitz has also been accused of sexual crimes by Virginia Giuffre who also claims she was abused by Epstein, Maxwell and the Duke of York The 83-year-old and the Duke vehemently deny any wrongdoing and have not been charged with any crime.
The interview on the BBC News Channel, as the news of Maxwell’s conviction for trafficking teenagers broke, introduced him as “constitutional lawyer” but made no reference to his links to those involved in the case.
He used the airtime to denigrate Ms Giuffre’s claims against himself and the Duke.
In a statement, the BBC said: “Last night’s interview with Alan Dershowitz after the Ghislaine Maxwell verdict did not meet the BBC’s editorial standards, as Mr Dershowitz was not a suitable person to interview as an impartial analyst, and we did not make the relevant background clear to our audience.
“We will look into how this happened.”
Maxwell, 60, was convicted on five out of six charges, which included luring young girls to massage rooms for the disgraced financier Epstein to molest.