Daily Mail barred from Derek Chauvin trial after publishing ‘stolen’ body camera footage, court rules
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JUNE 29: Selwyn Jones, uncle of George Floyd, speaks with reporters in front of the Hennepin County Public Safety Facility on June 29, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. All four former officers, charged in George Floyds death, had their second courthouse hearing this afternoon.
((Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images))A Minnesota court on Wednesday revoked the Daily Mail‘s press credential to cover the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer accused of killing George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, after the outlet published “stolen” police body camera footage of the incident in 2020, according to a court filing.
In 2020, the Hennepin County District Court allowed members of the media to view and take notes on, but not re-publish, police body camera footage that captured some of the interaction between Mr Floyd and officers. Then, according to the Wednesday filing, the footage was “stolen” and published later that summer.
“It has not been proven to the Court whether the Daily Mail did or did not play a role in the theft of the footage,” the document reads. “It is clear, however, that the Daily Mail was the first media outlet to publish the stolen footage.”
It also alleges the outlet paid for the stolen footage.
“This Court assumes that the Daily Mail paid for the stolen video footage,” the filing continues. “The Court is therefore confident that the Daily Mail can pay to obtain the trial exhibits associated with this case. This is not a hardship for the Daily Mail, it is merely an inconvenience. The Court does not make this decision lightly, but it has no other equitable and appropriate response to the Daily Mail’s purchase and publication of the stolen footage.”
The Independent has reached out to the Daily Mail for comment.
