Hutton was biased, says BBC lawyer

The BBC's most senior lawyer has criticised the Hutton report as being "biased".

Glenn del Medico said the inquiry into the death of Government weapons adviser David Kelly and the role of the BBC in the scandal had been a "dreadful waste of time".

Speaking at an event to mark his 38 years at the corporation, Dr Del Medico, who will soon retire as the BBC's chief legal adviser, said he would have cleared reporter Andrew Gilligan's story about the dossier on Iraqi weapons if he had been consulted over it.

Dr Del Medico, who has dealt with most of the BBC's major legal cases, said the Hutton Inquiry had created an " extraordinary amount of fuss" over an issue that did not warrant it.

"I think the consequences were extreme in every respect. I'm sure there are far better things for the authorities to concentrate on than one line in an early-morning radio programme," he said.

Dr Del Medico was also critical of Lord Hutton's conclusions following the inquiry.

"It's unfortunate that Lord Hutton made such a biased report. He got it wrong, but then judges don't always get it right."