Can’t Pay? We’ll Take It Away featured a woman crying on her doorstep as she refused bailiffs entry – and she’s now reportedly suing Channel 5.
Neelam Zarghune, who was 19 when the episode was filmed, is reported to be suing the broadcaster and others for up to £100,000.
What happened in Neelam’s episode of Can’t Pay? We’ll Take It Away
Footage used in the episode, part of season five, showed her crying as she refused to let bailiffs enter her home.
An audience of 1.5million people tuned in to watch the episode when it first aired. Season five was on screens in 2017 and 2018.
According to The Sun, in papers lodged at the High Court, Neelam claimed the footage left her “deeply humiliated”.
The bailiffs’ body cameras caught the moment they confronted her on her doorstep.
They were trying to collect parking fines of £1,700. Neelam claims her then boyfriend racked up the fines on her car.
She is reportedly seeking damages of up to £100,000 from Channel 5, bailiff company DCBL and the firm that makes the show, Brinkworth Films.
She also wants to get the footage of her banned from being played again.
ED! contacted Channel 5 for comment.
Not the first such case
Neelam’s case isn’t the first time someone has sued Channel 5 because of Can’t Pay? We’ll Take It Away!
Two years ago, a court ordered the broadcaster to pay out £20k in damages. The sum went to a couple who featured on the programme.
Footage on Can’t Pay? We’ll Take It Away! showed them being evicted from their home.
East Londoners Shakar Ali and Shahida Aslam had fallen behind on their rent.
But they hadn’t given Channel 5 permission to use the footage of them.
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Channel 5’s argument was that, under the UK’s freedom of expression laws, it was entitled to show what happened in the eviction.
However, a High Court ruling decided that Shakar and Shahida’s privacy outweighed Channel 5’s right to freedom of expression.
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