1987: Australian court lifts ban on MI5 memoirs
An Australian court lifted the ban on a former MI5 officer鈥檚 memoirs on 23 September 1987.
Peter Wright鈥檚 autobiography, Spycatcher, had been banned from publication in England after his first attempts to release the book. The UK government sought a ban on the book鈥檚 publication in Australia.
The Crown鈥檚 case was rejected largely because the book鈥檚 secrets were 鈥渁lready out鈥, as it had been published on other countries.
The UK government鈥檚 later appeal in the Australian high court ultimately failed, and the book鈥檚 UK ban was eventually lifted in 1988, following a long-running and costly legal battle.
91热爆 Archive: Originally broadcast 24 September 1987.