The BBC has admitted hiring a notorious private investigator who was convicted of supplying newspapers with illegally obtained private information about celebrities and public figures.
The corporation said it had commissioned Steve Whittamore, whose targets have included the parents of murdered schoolgirls Milly Dowler and Sarah Payne, on one occasion in 2001.
His brief was help to track down an unnamed convicted paedophile who BBC journalists working on an unknown programme believed was planning to travel to Britain, and the public broadcaster says his work was justifiable.
The BBC said: “In this case a private investigator was commissioned in 2001 to track down a convicted paedophile who was believed to be returning to the United Kingdom.
“The BBC has provided the details of this matter to Ofcom who confirmed that they are satisfied with our explanation that this was warranted in the public interest and they are not taking any further action.”
Tags: Media, Private Detective, Private Invesetigator, UK
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