REPORTER ON DRINK-DRIVE STORY SNIFFED COCAINE

A PRODUCER with the BBC has received a caution from police after he was
caught sniffing cocaine in his car while on a story about drink-driving.

Officers also found a small amount of cannabis in Benedict Hamilton's car.
The 31-year-old reporter who is a freelance producer working at the BBC's
Home Programmes Department at White City, west London, received his caution
last weekend.

He was found with the drugs in his car late at night as he waited to
confront a man he believed to be a habitual drink-driver. Yesterday the BBC
stressed that, at the time of the offences, Hamilton was not employed by
them and they had not asked him to look into the story.

It was on Feb 13 that Hamilton was in Bedford on the trail of a drink-drive
motorist who had caused the death of woman some years previously. The man
had served a prison sentence but the reporter believed that he was
continuing to drink and drive.

Hamilton was sitting in his car in a town centre car park waiting to follow
the man when he was seen on a security camera. Police who were monitoring
the camera, noticed that Hamilton appeared to be sniffing something. Two
officers drove to the car park where they arrested the reporter.

Bedfordshire police said that Hamilton, of Westminster, west London, was
charged with possessing cocaine and cannabis with a street value of about
UKP50. The case was subjected to a number of adjournments at Bedford
magistrates' court without Hamilton having to offer a plea to the charges.

The case was listed to be heard on Tuesday but at 10am the Crown Prosecution
asked for the matter to be withdrawn because Hamilton had received a police
caution in Bedford at the weekend.

When contacted at the BBC's White City offices Hamilton would only say "no
comment" to questions about his caution and the case. A spokesman for the
CPS said: "There are always a large number of factors to take into account
on whether a prosecution should be brought or not and you have to balance
these factors. If he were caught again then this caution would be cited in
court."

Checked-by: Rolf Ernst