Reporter who named Rotherham child abuse victim a 'loose cannon', BBC boss tells court

Arif Ansari’s legal team tried to get the case against him thrown out at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court yesterday (Thursday), arguing the reporter who had written and delivered the bulletin had mispronounced her name and therefore had not identified her.

But District Judge Naomi Redhouse dismissed Mr Trevor Burke’s application and found that there was a case to answer.

BBC Asian Network editor Ansari denies breaching the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992, which gives victim’s lifelong anonymity, after reporter Mr Rickin Majithia named the woman on air.

Ansari (44) had checked Mr Majithia’s "script" around 25 minutes before it had been broadcast. Ansari said he believed the name used in the script had been her pseudonym.

When he was interviewed by police, Ansari described Mr Majithia as a “driven reporter” who was “always looking for stories and always coming up with ideas”.

Ansari said: "He used his own initiative and he would be the one most likely to get us the best stories.

“The flipside is he could be a bit of a loose cannon.”

Ansari said he often had to check what Mr Majithia was up to.

He estimated around 15,000 people would have been listening to the 5pm bulletin on BBC Asian Network.

Mr Burke, defending, said that because Mr Majithia had stated that the name was a pseudonym in his bulletin, listeners would not think that her real name had been broadcast.

Mr Burke also argued that because Mr Majithia had misspelled the victim’s name in his script and mispronounced it in his bulletin, he had not identified her.

Ms Redhouse ruled there was a case to answer.

Ansari denies the offences. The trial continues.