Email to Metropolitan Police re: ‘Saving Syria’s Children’, 29 March 2014

From:	Robert Stuart
Sent:	29 March 2014 19:57:36
To:	new.scotland.yard@met.police.uk

Dear Sir/Madam

I have just contacted the Metropolitan Police on 101. My call has been logged with the reference: CHS8881, dated 28 March 2014. [1]

The officer who took my call kindly provided this email address, as I wish to provide the Metropolitan Police with a more detailed record of my concerns.

These relate to the BBC Panorama programme ‘Saving Syria’s Children’, broadcast on 30 September 2013, and related BBC news items, and are laid out in detail in my correspondence with the BBC, which is in blog form. The blog has had over 5,000 views to date.

In chronological sequence the posts are:

• My first letter to BBC (4 October 2013)
• The BBCs first reply (2 December 2013)
• My second letter to BBC (30 January 2014) – NB this is very long and detailed
• The BBC’s second reply (18 February 2014) – there is a Dropbox link to the Word document
• My third letter to BBC (17 March 2014) – currently at the top of my blog

In my first letter I noted the tampering with the audio soundtrack between the two BBC News reports of 29 August and 30 September 2013. I contacted former diplomat and blogger Craig Murray with this information, and his piece about it on 7 October gained the matter a wide currency at that time.

I recently collaborated with a journalist from RT, who produced this report, transmitted on 23 March. George Galloway MP is interviewed in the report and supports the view that the Panorama report was fabricated.

I approached Ofcom in September 2013 with some of my concerns, however I understand from their lack of response that my complaint did not fall within their remit.

I have also contacted the General Medical Council with my concerns about the two doctors featured in the film (Dr Rola Hallam and Dr Saleyha Ahsan). I attach the GMC’s two responses of 28 February and 10 March 2014 (NB page 2 of the 28 February reply is erroneously included as p1 of the second attachment). My first complaint was in regard to the doctors’ part in what I believe to be the fabrication of a medical emergency, my second complaint cited instances of dishonesty and lapses in professional ethics and conduct. All of these points are also made in my correspondence with the BBC.

Yours sincerely,

Robert Stuart
(Address and mobile number supplied)

[1] I clarified in a subsequent email that the date of my call to the Metropolitan Police was 29 March 2014, the same day as my emails.

About Robert Stuart

Researching the 2013 BBC Panorama documentary Saving Syria's Children and associated BBC News reports.

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