- Gregory Piper played a violent gang member in hit drama Line of Duty
- The 13-year-old swore and tried to chop off a policeman's fingers
- Ofcom criticise BBC for a 'serious lapse' in care for the young star
- Watchdog also investigating incident involving child of Charlie Brooks on I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!
By Paul Revoir
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The BBC has been found guilty of exposing a 13-year-old to gruesome violence and sexually explicit language when he appeared on crime drama Line of Duty, media watchdog Ofcom ruled today.
During the series, child actor Gregory Piper plays a gang member and is seen attempting to sever a policeman's fingers with bolt cutters.
His character, Ryan Pilkington, repeatedly uses swear words and is also head-butted by the man he is torturing.
Trouble: The BBC has been criticised after Gregory Piper was allowed to play a gang member who attempted to sever a policemans fingers with bolt cutters in Line of Duty (pictured)
In one scene during the BBC2 show, a police officer is heard using sexually explicit language as he interviews Ryan.
In a report released by Ofcom, the regulator said the BBC had not gone far enough in protecting Gregory and that the broadcaster had committed a 'serious lapse' in its duty of care to the youngster.
The breach comes on the same day that the watchdog confirmed it is to investigate ITV's I'm A Celebrity …Get Me Out Of Here for using Kiki, the seven-year-old daughter of actress and contestant Charlie Brooks, for a stunt.
Ofcom is also probing children's BBC show Dick and Dom's Hoopla, after a child was left retching following an eating challenge which involved consuming a mixture of apple sauce and mayonnaise .
Clearly increasingly concerned about the treatment of youngsters in TV shows, the regulator issued a stern warning to broadcasters reminding them of their duty to protect under 18-year-olds.
Ofcom said it would be meeting broadcasters to remind them of their responsibilities and said spot checks will be carried out in future to make sure they are complying with the rules.
'It felt like someone kicked me in the guts': Charlie Brooks was devastated to learn that she missed seeing her daughter
So close: Charlie's daughter was disappointed that she missed out on seeing her mother
The BBC defended the scenes in Line Of Duty saying it had been in constant dialogue with the teenage actor's parents who were comfortable that he would not be emotionally affected by the role.
But Ofcom said the teenager had appeared in scenes which had been 'of a particularly violent nature and included sexually explicit language'.
It said the programme, for which it received a single complaint, had breached its broadcasting code which states that 'due care must be taken over the physical and emotional welfare' of under-18s irrespective of any consent given by a parent.
The regulator also criticised the BBC for not having someone directly looking over the teenager's interests and suggested the broadcaster should have sought expert opinion on whether it was appropriate for him to have taken part in the scenes. The two episodes aired in July.
Bungle: Dick and Dom's Hoopla show was also slammed when a child began to retch on screen after being forced to eat disgusting food
The decision to look into the use of Kiki Brooks on I'm A Celebrity comes following the outcry from hundreds of viewers who watched the game unfold.
On the programme Miss Brooks, 31, who is well-known for playing the role of Janine in BBC1 soap EastEnders, and darts ace Eric Bristow had to choose from a selection of doors that had treats behind them in this year's series of the jungle show.
The actress did not know that Kiki, who had not seen her mother for 18 days, was behind one of the doors in the challenge and missed out on the reunion after picking the wrong door.
Brooks later criticised the stunt and said it had been "heart-breaking".
'I signed up for this show, but Kiki didn't. I didn't want her to be so upset. I had no idea this was happening. It was my lowest point,' she said.
'My mum gave the green light for her to be there because it was an opportunity for Kiki to see me - and I think she thought she would.'
Viewers also complained, while campaign group Parents Outloud said: 'To involve a seven-year-old is sinking to the bottom.'
But a spokesman for the show said at the time that a senior producer had seen 'Kiki afterwards and she was fine'.
The thing is though, that's realistic of some 13 year olds.
- Lucy , Surrey, UK, 17/12/2012 18:16
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