Published: 2024-03-15 by, News Team in the Local news category

BBC Under Fire: Convicted Rapists Allowed to Smear Teen Victim - Allegations of Sensationalism by BBC

The BBC stands accused of negligent reporting, allegedly allowing two convicted rapists to tarnish a teenage rape victim's reputation.

A BBC spokesman said: “In 2015 and 2016, Newsnight followed the story of the Badreddin family, who were Syrian refugees who had settled in the UK. During 2016, their son Omar was tried for sexual assault and found not guilty. Two years afterwards, in 2018 and 2019, Omar Badreddin and his brother Mohamed committed multiple counts of rape. They were found guilty and were jailed on 1 March 2024.

“The BBC reported this. In any situation, the BBC can only report on the facts as they stand at the time, which is what we did in 2016. The Badreddins’ subsequent crimes are appalling, and we express our sincere sympathies to their victim.”

Neil O’Brien MP, a Conservative former minister, said: “The BBC showed remarkably poor editorial judgment in commissioning this fawning documentary, more interested in airing an unchallenged accusation that a 14-year-old girl was a racist who had made up a rape accusation.

“Given that they smeared a young girl as sexually experienced and failed to challenge the racism accusations made by someone who turns out to be a dangerous sexual predator, you would hope there would be a bit more contrition, but I don’t see any signs so far that any lessons are being learned from this shocking, appalling case”.

Former Newsnight journalist Katie Razall subsequently interviewed the Badreddin family in the aftermath of the trial.

Badreddin said: “I felt she [the accuser] didn’t want foreigners in this country and that is why she made up the whole story.” Razall did not appear to challenge this, and added: “That, believes Omar Badreddin, was at the heart of the case against them.”

During a voiceover segment, Razall claimed: “The Syrian men in many ways appeared less sexually experienced than the girls they were supposed to have attacked.”

In a follow-up BBC article, Razall said: “The family told me ever since their son’s arrest, they have felt humiliated and dishonoured, even though they were certain their son was innocent. In Syrian culture, this type of accusation is so damaging to their reputation, that even though Omar Badreddin has been cleared, they fear the stigma of it will stick.”

A Syrian refugee who was the subject of “fawning” coverage on the BBC’s Newsnight has been convicted of the rape of a 13-year-old girl.

Omar Badreddin and his brother Mohamed, along with two others, were handed a combined 38.5-year sentence for the rape of a 13-year-old girl abused between August 2018 and April 2019.

The victim said that her attackers “tortured” her and made her life a “living nightmare”. Omar Badreddin raped her on at least seven occasions, and threatened to kill her or take her to another country if she failed to comply.

The Badreddin family were the subject of 2016 documentary “To hell and back: the story of a Syrian family given refuge in the UK”. The show documented the family’s 11-month journey from Syria to Newcastle as part of the Syrian refugee resettlement program.

During the production, the BBC became aware of criminal proceedings against Omar, then aged 18, who was accused of the sexual assault of a 14-year-old-girl.

The trial lasted two weeks, before the request of the defence barristers to throw out the case was accepted. The defence argued that significant translation errors made during police interrogation invalidated the evidence. Omar and the other accused were unable to speak English.

Back To Main News & Articles List...