Daily Mail: Ex-BBC lawyer sues TV Licensing after accused of not having a licence

Story from Daily Mail:

A former BBC Scotland lawyer is suing TV Licensing chiefs after claiming he was falsely accused of not paying for a licence.

Alistair Bonnington, 71, said he has been 'hounded' with the threat of prosecution after moving to his new house, despite having a licence.

TV Licensing threatened to take him to court and said it could apply for a search warrant for the property – while a fine of up to £1,000 could be levied 'plus any legal costs'.

Mr Bonnington, who was head of legal at BBC Scotland for 16 years, is taking court action demanding compensation for his ordeal, which began more than a year ago.

The retired lawyer, who has four grandchildren, said: 'They have hounded me and made threats but because of my legal background I wasn't intimidated, although it was unpleasant.

'For others – for example, a parent of young children or an elderly and vulnerable person – it's not hard to imagine that they would just say, ''Fair enough, I'll pay this'', to put an end to it, even though they'd already paid.

'The problem is that TV Licensing did not respond to most of my emails or letters, or listen to what I was telling them, so something that could have been resolved easily drags on for many months.'

Mr Bonnington moved from Glasgow to Berwick-upon-Tweed in December 2022 and 'almost immediately' received a letter from TV Licensing, telling him he needed to get a licence.

He said: 'The letters just kept coming and I would email them or write – sending letters by recorded delivery – and explain that I had already paid for a licence, but it got me nowhere.'

The first letter from TV Licensing, dated December 14, 2022, said its database showed his new address 'is currently unlicensed'.

It added: 'You are therefore at risk of a visit by our Edinburgh Enforcement Division.

'If our enforcement officers visit and find that you are watching, downloading or recording TV illegally, you could face prosecution, and a fine of up to £1,000, plus any legal costs and/or compensation you may be ordered to pay.'

In May last year he was warned to expect a visit from an enforcement officer but it never happened.

Mr Bonnington is now taking legal action against the BBC in the county court in England for compensation of £1,000, and 'would like a line to be drawn' under the case.

TV Licensing is a trademark used by companies contracted by the BBC to administer the collection of television licence fees.