'Brunt of the Yard' and a seven-hour lunch with a top police officer

by Guest 25.07.11 16:35

'Brunt of the Yard' and a seven-hour lunch with a top police officer

'What's acceptable in return for help on a story?' Martin Brunt, the crime correspondent at Sky News, asks. 'A drink, lunch, an envelope full of fivers?'

Tim Walker
7:00AM BST 25 Jul 2011

Known as "Brunt of the Yard," Martin Brunt, the crime correspondent at Rupert Murdoch's Sky News, was typically first with the story that is now dominating the headlines. "Police corruption has always been a delicate issue for crime hacks," he admitted in an interview four years ago. "What's acceptable in return for help on a story? A drink, lunch, an envelope full of fivers?"

Brunt, 56, who broke the news of the television presenter Jill Dando's murder, would never, of course, stoop to dispensing cash himself, but he admitted to spending "roughly the cost of a case of Chivas Regal" on dinner with a police contact. I once spotted him wining and dining Sir Ian Blair, when he was the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, at Shepherd's restaurant, not far from Scotland Yard, and he is clearly a good host. Brunt admitted that one lunch with a "VIP" officer lasted seven hours.

The Sky News website boasts of his "extensive network of contacts," and he knows many officers well. Two of them, Roy Ramm and John O'Connor, both former Scotland Yard commanders, often appear as pundits on Sky News.

Today Brunt, who started out on Power Laundry and Cleaning News before moving to The Sun and the News of the World – "it was so long ago, mobile phones hadn't been invented," he pointed out – regularly visits police forces to coach senior officers in handling the media. "Police officers, and sometimes very senior officers, do me big favours, and I think I should reciprocate – not in every way I can, but I have to be grown up about it," he explained.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/8658004/Brunt-of-the-Yard-and-a-seven-hour-lunch-with-a-top-police-officer.html

by Guest 01.08.11 15:08

Has anyone seen Martin Brunt on Sky lately. His last blog was July 12th - 20 days ago.

by Guest 01.08.11 15:11

'Brunt of the Yard' and a seven-hour lunch with a top police officer 890363

Now you mention it, no. Could be holiday season?

by jd 01.08.11 15:11

candyfloss wrote:Has anyone seen Martin Brunt on Sky lately. His last blog was July 12th - 20 days ago.

I last saw him on sky news reporting on scotland yard hacking claims a few weeks ago. I do feel he knows the truth of the McCann story by the way he reports it. I get the feeling he has strong resentments to the Mccanns

by Newintown 02.08.11 13:20

candyfloss wrote:Has anyone seen Martin Brunt on Sky lately. His last blog was July 12th - 20 days ago.

He's just been on SkyNews about 5 minutes ago, unfortunately.

I always think he is an apology for a crime reporter, he looks and sounds dopey and is like a wet dishcloth. He always states the obvious, I hate to think how much he gets paid, but he definitely doesn't earn it.

The only thing that he has going for him is the Madeleine blogs on the Sky website, although a lot of the time it's like a bunfight in the OK Corral. You take your life into your own hands just reading the messages let alone taking part!

I've never had the nerve to join in, just reading them is hard work.

'Brunt of the Yard' and a seven-hour lunch with a top police officer 110921

'Brunt of the Yard' and a seven-hour lunch with a top police officer 110921

by Guest 02.08.11 14:14

Newintown wrote:
candyfloss wrote:Has anyone seen Martin Brunt on Sky lately. His last blog was July 12th - 20 days ago.

He's just been on SkyNews about 5 minutes ago, unfortunately.

I always think he is an apology for a crime reporter, he looks and sounds dopey and is like a wet dishcloth. He always states the obvious, I hate to think how much he gets paid, but he definitely doesn't earn it.

The only thing that he has going for him is the Madeleine blogs on the Sky website, although a lot of the time it's like a bunfight in the OK Corral. You take your life into your own hands just reading the messages let alone taking part!

I've never had the nerve to join in, just reading them is hard work.