Appalling reporting on the Nigel Evans verdict by the BBC
Open complaint to the BBC on their online article :
MP Nigel Evans' drinking and sex life laid bare in trial
I am appalled at the language and inaccuracies in this article on the "not guilty" verdict in Nigel Evans' trial for sexual assault and rape.
Re your headline: Mr Evans has not been "cleared". He has been found "not guilty". These are two completely different things.
More importantly, you stated in the article:
"The jury disagreed believing Mr Evans' account that the man entered the MP's bedroom "of his own free will" and consented to sex which he regretted later."
This is pure speculation. You have no idea what the jury did or did not believe. All you know is that the jury did not find the charge of rape proven beyond reasonable doubt. It is entirely possible that the jury believed that Mr Evans probably raped the man but did not feel that it was proven "beyond reasonable doubt" because of the element of "he said/he said"
To state in a supposedly factual news article on the BBC website as fact the damaging speculation (and I repeat - this is pure specualtion on your part - you have no idea what the jury thought about this!) that the jury believed that the complainant was crying rape after consensual sex they regretted is shockingly irresponsible.
You have no knowlege of the truth or untruth of that statement. You basically don't care whether you are lying. On the BBC news site! I still struggle to believe you actually published those words.
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Update:
The BBC have repsonded to sat
“Thank you for your comments. You make a fair point and we have now slightly adjusted the story.
Many thanks for your feedback which is much appreciated.”
They have changed the wording to:
“Mr Evans told the court that the man had entered the MP’s bedroom “of his own free will” and consented to sex which he regretted later.”
Thank you for challenging the BBC’s false reporting and for once BBC has accepted their accountability. You are correct Nigel Evans was found not guilty which is not the same as ‘having been cleared.’