The BBC has landed itself in hot water for another on-air gaffe today after the Bbc News Channel mistakenly announced that a verdict had been reached in the trial of the men accused of murdering special constable Nisah Patel-Nasri. Just after 11am today, the BBC News channel broadcast what it claimed was a "breaking news" story about the trial of the suspects in the case of the murder of Patel-Nasri, who was killed on her doorstep in north London in 2006. Today's inaccuracy is the third in a week for BBC News.

BBC presenter Jane Hill told viewers there was news in from the Old Bailey that a verdict had been reached. The BBC then announced the supposed verdict on air and on a "strapline" on screen. After a few minutes Hill said there was some "confusion" at the Old Bailey and that the BBC would bring more news when they had it.

Hill's co-presenter Tim Wilcox then said they would move on to something on "stronger grounds" and the breaking news strapline disappeared. However, sources at the Old Bailey said the courtroom was locked at the time and the jury was out considering its verdict in the Patel-Nasri case on its fourth day of deliberations.

It has not been an easy few days for BBC News – which, like other broadcasters, has found its resources stretched by covering the disasters in Burma and China. On Tuesday the BBC admitted that a factory making Adolf Hitler dolls that it told viewers was part of the rise of Neo-Nazism in Ukraine was actually located in Taiwan. The BBC apologised for the mistake, which it broadcast on television and online on April 23.

On Friday last week it made an on-air apology after it broadcast a picture the previous day which it claimed was of dozens of people killed by the devastating Burmese cyclone, but which instead was taken in Sumatra during the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004.

A BBC spokeswoman said: "We wrongly reported that a verdict had been delivered in the Nisha Patel-Nasri murder trial. The mistake was realised very quickly and a live retraction aired soon after."

Elsewhere, The BBC has apologised on air and agreed to pay legal costs over an allegedly defamatory episode of BBC1 forensic drama Waking the Dead. A recent storyline in the hit show featured a villain who had a similar name and background to a former Guards officer, now security boss, Jonathan Garratt.

The episode of Waking the Dead, 'Duty and Honour', broadcast three weeks ago on BBC1, revolved around a corrupt former Guards officer called John Garret who helped set up security firm Apx Solutions – a company which specialised in working in Iraq. As well as the Waking the Dead character having a similar sounding name and background to him, Garratt's firm Erinys is one of a just a few British security companies working out in Iraq. In addition, the fictional John Garret was played by Rupert Graves, who is said to have a similar appearance and voice to Garratt. Jonathan Garratt's name is also often shortened to John.

However, unlike Garratt, the Waking the Dead character enters into a corrupt arrangement with a local Iraqi criminal, commits a murder and authorises another killing. After seeing the episode and receiving phone calls from people who had seen the programme, commenting on some of the "striking" similarities in background between him and the fictional John Garret, Garratt began legal proceedings against the BBC, claiming defamation.

Garratt's lawyer, media specialist David Price from David Price Solicitors & Advocates, requested an apology be broadcast as soon as possible. Two apologies were broadcast on BBC1 this week, immediately after Monday and last night's episodes of Waking the Dead, which were both watched by more than 6 million viewers. The BBC apologised for "any embarrassment caused" and said John Garret was "entirely fictional" and "was not intended to bear any similarity to Jonathan Garratt".

Price is also seeking for a statement based on the apology broadcast on BBC1 to be read out in court and for the BBC to pay "substantial damages", claiming that "considerable damage has been caused to our client's reputation". The BBC told Price that the matter was a coincidence. But he said he was surprised at the level of coincidence in the drama.

"We're waiting for an explanation as to how this happened. It does seem remarkable. We don't know if it was cock-up or conspiracy but the level of similarities is extraordinary," he added. "We assume there was some level of negative checking by the BBC before the programme went out." The BBC had not responded to requests for comment at time of publication.

It is not the first time Waking the Dead has courted controversy. Last year Roman Catholic sect Opus Dei complained the drama had misrepresented some of its members – a claim the BBC rejected.

Erinys International and Garratt are not unknown to the media and have had some coverage in the press. In an interview in 2004 with the Independent on Sunday, Garratt called for international regulation for private security guards.

A BBC spokeswoman said the corporation had no comment at this stage about costs and damages. "The BBC carried out a number of checks (as is usual practice with such dramas) to clear the fictional character name John Garret prior to filming Waking The Dead: Duty And Honour," she added. "Following the broadcast of this episode, the BBC received a letter from solicitors representing Jonathan Garratt.The checks we had carried out did not pick up the alternative spelling of Mr Garratt's name. We were happy in these circumstances to apologise and make clear that the character, John Garret, as with all dramas like this, was entirely fictional and was not intended to bear any similarity to Jonathan Garratt."