BBC reporter Andrew Gilligan may have increased the pressures on David Kelly by briefing MPs on how to question the weapons specialist at a committee hearing days before his death, the chairman of the BBC governors has acknowledged.
Mr Gavyn Davies told the Hutton inquiry in London yesteray that Mr Gilligan had been wrong to send members of the Foreign Affairs Committee an e-mail revealing that Dr Kelly had been the source for a second BBC story, by the Newsnight journalist Susan Watts.
A friend of the scientist told the inquiry on Wednesday that Dr Kelly had been "totally thrown" when, during the evidence session on July 15th, Liberal Democrat MP David Chidgey read from the e-mail a quote he was alleged to have made to Ms Watts.
Two days after telling the committee he did not recognise the quote, and while being pressed to provide a list of his contacts with journalists, Dr Kelly embarked on the walk that would end in his death.
Mr Gilligan, who gave evidence before Lord Hutton two weeks ago, has submitted a second witness statement to the inquiry to explain the e-mails he sent to Mr Chidgey and a Conservative member of the committee, Mr Richard Ottaway.
The reporter's future now looks uncertain as Mr Davies hinted he would face disciplinary action. The e-mails were not submitted by Mr Gilligan but emerged at the inquiry last week.
Mr Davies said: "I think this is something the director general may wish to look at and come to the board of governors on." But when pressed by inquiry counsel Mr James Dingemans QC on what his personal view was, the chairman said: "I certainly believe that it was wrong for any journalist to divulge the source of another journalist. "I would say that Mr Gilligan at this stage was under enormous pressure.
"But of course I enormously regret anything that happened at this stage which may have increased the pressures on Dr Kelly."