BBC Breakfast's Jon Kay interrupts broadcast to issue 'upsetting' warning to viewers

Jon and Sally led the report (Image: BBC)

Jon Kay momentarily paused during Wednesday's show to issue an "upsetting" warning to BBC Breakfast viewers.

Returning from the weather, Jon Kay and Sally Nugent led a report about young people being restrained at school. The BBC led an investigation into CCTV footage from Whitefield Special School in north London, which showed young people being shoved into rooms and restrained by the neck.

The harrowing footage was shown on the BBC's news programme this morning as part of the report. Ahead of the clip, Jon took a moment to warn viewers about the upsetting footage they were about to show.

Speaking today, Jon said: "There have been calls for the immediate regulation of so-called calming rooms in special schools after a BBC investigation revealed CCTV footage of autistic children being shoved into padded rooms, restrained by the neck or even left alone sitting in vomit."

Sally then added: "A police investigation into the footage recorded at Whitefield Special School in north London between 2014 and 2017 ended this summer without any charges. The school said the new leadership found the footage after the rooms had been closed and shared it with the police."

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The pair were hosting BBC Breakfast today (Image: BBC)

Closing their segment, Jon then added: "Noel Titheradge has this report, which I must warn you some of you might find upsetting."

The report then showed the footage, which was described as "jaw-dropping".

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Neil said in his segment: "It's footage that has been described as jaw-dropping. Videos obtained by the BBC show autistic people being abused and neglected inside so-called calming rooms at a special school. Three years ago, we began investigating when 500 hours of footage was found at Whitefield school.

"Now we've obtained footage revealing the reality of abuse in the rooms before they were shut."

The report contained upsetting CCTV footage (Image: BBC)

A lady called Deborah was then interviewed about her son Jamie, who was in some of the CCTV footage.

"I saw them push him in the room, whack him in his back, flying on the floor, left in there very confused and frustrated, knowing he's going to be in there for a long time," she recalled, revealing he suffered his first ever epileptic episode after being placed into the rooms.

*BBC Breakfast airs at 6am on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

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