A Bristol solicitor who appeared on 'Brainteaser' has been awarded £60,000 damages from the BBC following news broadcasts which wrongly implicated him in a scam.


Leigh Petters, a criminal law assistant at Rodney King & Partners, sued the broadcaster after footage of him was used to illustrate its news reports concerning alleged irregularities in the Channel Five television quiz show.



In March 2007, the BBC reported that a member of the production team had gone on air pretending to be the winner. It illustrated the news story with footage of Petters, who had been a winning contestant earlier in the year.



Petters' solicitor, Athalie Matthews, an assistant at London firm Carter-Ruck, told the High Court the footage had caused Petters 'considerable distress and embarrassment', adding that he was especially concerned that it could 'damage his reputation for honesty and integrity which, as a solicitor, he values highly'. The BBC agreed to broadcast a correction, apologised, and agreed to pay damages and costs.



Petters was unavailable to comment.



Catherine Baksi