THE BBC has conceded that its platforming of lawyer Alan Dershowitz - who faces the same accusations of sexual misconduct as Prince Andrew - did not meet its editorial standards.
A spokesperson said that Dershowitz, who was friends with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was "not a suitable person to interview as an impartial analyst".
The US lawyer had been brought on to the BBC News programme to speak on the impact of Ghislaine Maxwell being found guilty of sex trafficking.
READ MORE: 'See how this looks?': Janey Godley hits out at BBC over Ghislaine Maxwell coverage
However, Dershowitz's links to Epstein going back decades were not mentioned by the broadcaster. Nor was the fact that the lawyer is currently involved in a legal dispute with Virgina Giuffre, the woman who has accused Prince Andrew of sexually abusing her.
The BBC said it would be probing how Dershowitz had been chosen to speak on the news broadcast.
Dershowitz, an emeritus professor at Harvard Law School, used the BBC interview to attack Giuffre's credibility without challenge.
He said: "The most important thing for British viewers is that the government was very careful who it used as witnesses.
“It did not use as a witness the woman [Giuffre] who accused Prince Andrew, who accused me, who accused many other people, because the government didn’t believe she was telling the truth."
In a Netflix documentary series entitled “Filthy Rich”, Giuffre (below) alleged that she had been made to have sex with Dershowitz.
Both Prince Andrew and Dershowitz have strongly refuted the accusations. Dershowitz called it all a “total lie” and is suing Netflix for $80 million, as well as counter-suing Giuffre in a defamation case.
The lawyer is known for having defended OJ Simpson during his murder trial, Donald Trump during his first impeachment hearing, and Epstein during the first criminal case brought against him for having repeatedly solicited sex from minors.
The BBC platforming Dershowitz sparked outrage, with Labour MP Nadia Whittome saying: “Alan Dershowitz, who was accused of the same crimes as Prince Andrew, is on the BBC trying to silence victims following Ghislaine Maxwell’s conviction.
“I can’t believe this needs to be said but the BBC should not give a platform to people accused of child sexual abuse.”
A BBC spokesperson said: "The 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."
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