DAVID KELLY COMMITS SUICIDE AFTER SPILLING THE BEANS ON IRAQ INTELLIGENCE

The dossier of intelligence material was published to highlight what
Tony Blair considered the threat posed by Saddam Hussein. In the
foreword, he claimed that weapons of mass destruction could be launched
by Iraq within 45 minutes. In May the following year BBC reporter
Andrew Gilligan was to claim that this document had been
&”;sexed-up&”; by Downing Street and that the 45 minutes claim
was wrong.

In his radio report Andrew Gilligan brought to light the concerns of
what he said was a senior source. The source had told him that the
intelligence community had not been comfortable with some of the
dossier’s contents, especially the 45 minute claim. On the day Downing
Street denied the thrust of Mr Gilligan’s story and said the dossier
was entirely the work of the intelligence services.

Newsnight’s Science Editor, Susan Watts, reported that there were
problems with the 45 minute claim made in the dossier, calling it
&”;shaky&”;. br brHer reporting was also sourced from David
Kelly although her stories did not go as far as Andrew Gilligan’s in
pointing a finger at Alastair Campbell.

Tony Blair’s communication chief challenged the BBC to stand by Andrew
Gilligan’s original story. In his letter to the Director of News,
Richard Sambrook, Mr Campbell said that the BBC’s reporting had given
the impression that the government took Britain into the war in Iraq on
a false basis.

After studying the issue MPs clear Alastair Campbell of including the
45 minute claim in the government’s dossier. Writing in the Mail on
Sunday in May Andrew Gilligan said his source believed the opposite.
MPs also said that Campbell &”;did not exert or seek to exert
improper influence&”; on the dossier’s production. Although the
committee did conclude that the 45 minute claim &”;did not warrant
the prominence given to it&”;.

When asked, the Ministry of Defence press office confirmed David
Kelly’s name as the source of Andrew Gilligan’s stories to a few print
journalists. This proved to be a crucial turn of events. Once Dr
Kelly’s name was out, he was caught up in a very intense row between
the government and the BBC. How his name became known is key to the
Hutton Inquiry.

At 1520 BST Dr Kelly set off for a walk near his Oxfordshire home. When
he did not return his wife called the police at 2340 BST. The search
continued through the night but Dr Kelly’s body was not found until the
following day. It was presumed that his death was suicide after cuts to
his wrist were discovered. Tony Blair announced that a public inquiry
would be held into his death.

During the first week of evidence Dr Kelly’s role in the production of
the dossier (he worked on the historical aspects of the paper and
advised on other parts) was set out. BBC reporters Andrew Gilligan,
Susan Watts and Gavin Hewitt all attended the inquiry. Andrew Gilligan
admitted that his reporting was &”;not perfect&”;.

Week two was dominated by evidence from journalists and press officers.
Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair’s communications chief, attended the
inquiry and denied that he had anything to do with adding the 45
minutes claim to the dossier. Journalists from the Guardian, the
Observer and the Times also told of their dealings with Dr Kelly.

The prime minister’s appearance was the main headline from the third
week of the inquiry. He took full responsibility for the decisions
taken in relation to David Kelly. Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon claimed
to know little about his department’s role in the affair. The BBC
Chairman Gavyn Davies also appeared, and admitted that he was unaware
of Andrew Gilligan’s editor’s opinion that Mr Gilligan’s 45 minute
claim report had been flawed.

Dr Kelly’s wife, Janice, appeared at the beginning of the week. She was
followed by her daughter, Rachel. Their testimony painted in detail the
stress that Dr Kelly was under once his name was connected with Andrew
Gilligan’s story. Later in the week a former intelligence analyst shone
more light on the dossier’s production. Brian Jones told the inquiry
that in his opinion the dossier had been &”;over-egged&”; in
certain respects.

The inquiry re-opens with both Andrew Gilligan and the BBC director
general Greg Dyke giving evidence. On Monday Mr Dyke called Alastair
Campbell’s attacks on the BBC &”;unprecedented&”;. But he also
called Andrew Gilligan’s e-mail leaking Dr Kelly’s name to MPs
&”;unacceptable&”;. Appearing for the second time two days
later Mr Gilligan admitted making mistakes with his story. He put it
down to &”;a slip of the tongue&”; during a live broadcast.

Alastair Campbell and Geoff Hoon testify to the inquiry on the same
day. The defence secretary insisted that there wasn’t &”;the
slightest shred of evidence&”; that the government had deliberately
leaked Dr Kelly’s name. While the out-going government communications
chief had extracts from his diary published. They showed how he
believed that the naming of Dr Kelly would place Andrew Gilligan in a
very difficult position.

The inquiry closes with Lord Hutton saying his report would be
published by December. Statements from the legal representatives of the
government, the BBC, Andrew Gilligan and the Kelly family were all
heard. The Kelly family QC said the weapons expert had been used by the
government &”;as a pawn in their political battle with the
BBC&”;. The government QC argued it was &”;completely
unjustified&”; to criticise the government for trying to reveal Dr
Kelly’s name.

Lord Hutton delivers his longawaited report into the death of the
government weapons expert Dr David Kelly. In it he criticises BBC
journalist Andrew Gilligan for reporting “unfounded” allegations
against the government.

The director general became the second high profile casualty at the BBC
in the wake of the publication of Lord Hutton’s critical report. He was
replaced by Mark Byford on a temporary basis. Mr Dyke said that he
hoped his resignation would draw a line under the affair.