Peter Hitchens criticises the BBC for not attending the sentencing of Simon Carter, who was convicted of beating his 72-year-old mother to death. He argues that this meant the broadcaster missed the judge’s comments linking Carter’s cannabis use to mental-health problems and warning against cannabis decriminalisation, which Hitchens considers a matter of national importance.

According to Hitchens, Judge Steven Everett described cannabis as a “terrible” substance that could cause or worsen mental-health issues, and criticised political campaigns to decriminalise it. Hitchens says the BBC instead relied on a police press release that omitted those remarks; he adds that a police source said officers had not attended the sentencing and that cannabis did not feature in their investigation.