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About this scraperYet another PCC decision scraper. The same code is checked into Tom Lynn's "pcc-decisions" scraper, but the datastore has a lot of residual crud in it which needs clearing, and I don't have access to do that. Hence a new scraper :-( This scraper is protectedAnyone can see this scraper, but only its 1 selected editor can edit it. Users who can edit this scraper:
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| complainant_name | publication | url | complaint | date_published | clauses_noted | resolution | id | decision | adjudication | report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Wiggin MP | The Daily Telegraph | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE4Mw== | Bill Wiggin MP complained to the Press Complaints Commission that a comment piece was inaccurate and misleading when it stated that he had been "found guilty of dishonesty". | 2011-06-06 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated the publication of the following apology, in the newspaper and online, together with the removal of the original article from its website: Following "It's time to show him the door, Dave" (Nov 13, 2010), we wish to make clear that Bill Wiggin MP was not, as we mistakenly reported, found guilty of dishonesty by any official body for specifying his second home as his main residence to get a parking permit. We apologise for this misunderstanding. | 7183 | None | None | None |
| EastEnders | Daily Mirror | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE4Mg== | Ms Carolyn Weinstein, Company Manager of EastEnders, complained to the Press Complaints Commission that an article about a threat to ban staff, including cast members, caught leaking storylines was misleading when it suggested - particularly through the use of a photograph - that Shane Richie and Steve McFadden were under suspicion. | 2011-06-06 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated the publication of the following clarification, in the newspaper and online: On 20th April we said that EastEnders bosses had warned all staff, including cast members, that if anyone was found to be leaking confidential information they would be in breach of contract and would not work for the BBC again. We would like to make it clear that neither Shane Richie nor Steve McFadden are under suspicion of leaking any information. | 7182 | None | None | None |
| Jack P Shepherd | The People | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE4MA== | Coronation Street actor Jack P Shepherd complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had published an article which contained various inaccuracies regarding his relationship with the mother of his child and his provision of child maintenance. | 2011-06-03 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the newspaper annotated its records with the correct information as supplied by the complainant and agreed to use the ITV press office as the first point of contact should it wish to obtain the complainant's comment or check the accuracy of stories in the future. | 7180 | None | None | None |
| Full Fact | Daily Mail | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE3OQ== | Patrick Casey of Full Fact complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had published inaccuracies in relation to a pilot study of how welfare reforms will affect current incapacity benefit claimants. In particular, the complainant was concerned that the newspaper had overstated the proportion of claimants who had been found "fit to work" by the study. | 2011-06-03 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated the publication of the following clarification in the newspaper and amendment of the article online: Benefit Claimants In common with other newspapers, an article on 11 February reported official Department for Work and Pensions figures which suggested that 68 per cent of incapacity claimants were receiving benefits despite being fit for work. While 29 per cent were found fit for work straight away, the other 39 per cent were assessed as being unable to work now but able to work in the foreseeable future. We are happy to clarify the position. | 7179 | None | None | None |
| Sir Alan Davies | Willesden & Brent Times | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE4MQ== | Sir Alan Davies complained to the Press Complaints Commission that an article reporting on an investigation into bonuses at a school of which he was head teacher contained inaccuracies. | 2011-06-02 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated the publication of the following correction: In an article in the Times published on 9 December, 2010 it stated Sir Alan Davies, former head teacher of Copland Community School in Cecil Avenue, Wembley, was paid a bonus of £403,000 in one year. The Times would like to apologise for this error and to point out that Sir Alan did not receive a bonus of £403,000 in one year but was allegedly paid bonuses of £130,000 over a two year period in addition to his normal salary. | 7181 | None | None | None |
| Helen Iaccarino | The Citizen (Gloucestershire) | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE3OA== | Helene Iaccarino complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper's coverage of her daughter's tragic and unexpected death contained inaccuracies and represented an intrusion into her grief in breach of the Editors' Code. The newspaper had initially reported the death and this was followed up with a tribute article and an account of the child's funeral but the complainant had identified concerns about each piece. | 2011-06-02 | 1, 5 | The newspaper acknowledged that its earlier articles misreported details of the funeral and considered that this aspect of the complaint had been addressed with the publication of a correction on this point. The newspaper attempted to respond to some of the complainant's further concerns in correspondence and the complaint was eventually resolved when the PCC negotiated the publication of the following correction and apology: We have been asked to clarify certain details regarding our coverage of the sad death of Charlotte James in December 2010. We incorrectly reported the time of Charlotte's funeral on two occasions and apologise for this error. Charlotte did not die "straight away" as a result of injuries to her chest as we reported, but passed away in hospital following epigastric injuries. We are happy to clarify these points and would like to apologise for any additional distress caused to Charlotte's family by our articles. | 7178 | None | None | None |
| A married couple | Daily Record | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE3Nw== | A married couple complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had quoted them in a misleading context in breach of Clause 1 (Accuracy) of the Editors' Code and raised further breaches of Clause 3 (Privacy) and Clause 4 (Harassment) of the Code. | 2011-06-01 | 1, 3, 4 | The newspaper did not accept that it had breached the Code. Nonetheless, the matter was resolved when the PCC negotiated the removal of the article from the newspaper's online archive. | 7177 | None | None | None |
| Allan Reid | The Sun | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE3Ng== | Allan Reid complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had published his private medical details in relation to an allegation (which had subsequently been dismissed) of professional misconduct. | 2011-06-01 | 3 | The complained was resolved when the PCC negotiated the removal of the article from the newspaper's website. | 7176 | None | None | None |
| James Davidson | Falkirk Herald | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE3NQ== | James Davidson complained to the Press Complaints Commission on behalf of Corrie Data Services that the newspaper had published inaccurate information in relation to a court case. | 2011-06-01 | 1 | The complaint was resolved between the parties with the publication of the following correction: With reference to the article ‘Student downloaded indecent pictures of children', which appeared in The Falkirk Herald of March 31, we would like to clarify several points. The photographs in question were contained on a computer taken to Corrie Data Services for repair and it was them who alerted police to their presence. The company was not involved in the case in any other way and we apologise to them for any impression that they were. Additionally, the accused was convicted of possessing indecent images and not downloading them. We are happy to make these points. | 7175 | None | None | None |
| Mr Des Dobson | Birmingham Mail | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE3NA== | Mr Des Dobson complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper incorrectly claimed that his son had been involved in an incident in December 2010 when it had in fact been in December 2009. He also considered that the article wrongly implied that his son was associated with a crime he had no connection to. | 2011-06-01 | 1, 2 | The complaint was resolved following the alteration of the online article. | 7174 | None | None | None |
| Susan Jarvis | Daily Mail | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE3Mw== | Susan Jarvis complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had published an article about the various ways in which people adorn the graves of their loved ones accompanied by a photograph of her son's grave. The complainant considered the use of the image without her consent was both intrusive and insensitive and she made clear her view that it was not the newspaper's place to tell families how to express their grief. The complainant was further concerned that having complained directly to the journalist concerned, no reply had been received. | 2011-06-01 | 3, 5 | While the newspaper explained that the image of the ornately decorated grave was taken in a publicly accessible cemetery, it made clear that there was no intention to intrude into the grief of the complainant or her family and it regretted the upset caused by the publication of the photograph. The complaint was resolved when the newspaper arranged for the prompt removal of the online photograph, annotated its image library with the complainant's concerns and provided a private letter for the complainant from the journalist responsible for the piece. | 7173 | None | None | None |
| Peter Reynolds | Evening Standard | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE3Mg== | Peter Reynolds, leader of Cannabis Law Reform, complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had published inaccurate and misleading information about the potential harm of cannabis. | 2011-06-01 | 1 | The newspaper did not accept that it had breached the Code; it believed that the article had been accurate and balanced. The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated the publication of the following letter from the complainant: With regard to your story on the book "Henry's Demons", which tells the tale of Henry Cockburn's descent into schizophrenia: one fact that science has demonstrated beyond doubt is that anyone using cannabis is extremely unlikely to develop psychosis. Since the Reefer Madness propaganda of the 1930s, the anti-cannabis brigade has been desperately trying to prove this theory without success, despite dozens of studies. In 2009, specifically in response to tabloid scare stories, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs commissioned a study from Keele University. It looked at almost 600,000 subjects and concluded that despite increased use of cannabis, "the incidence and prevalence of schizophrenia and psychoses were either stable or declining". This is by far the largest and most authoritative study on the subject. In this context, with six million regular users in the UK, the continuing prohibition of cannabis is unjust and undemocratic. More importantly, it denies the extraordinary medicinal benefits of the plant which science is now confirming. Remarkable results are being achieved in using cannabis to treat multiple sclerosis, cancer, Alzheimer's, Crohn's and a wide range of diseases. Peter Reynolds Leader Cannabis Law Reform | 7172 | None | None | None |
| Mr Christopher Bulmer | Sunday Sport | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE3MA== | Mr Christopher Bulmer complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had incorrectly claimed that Derrick Bird had met "twin ladyboy hookers" at his bar, "Spicey Girls A Go Go", in Pattaya Beach, Thailand. While Derrick Bird had been a customer, no ladyboys worked in or visited his bar. | 2011-06-01 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the newspaper agreed to publish the following correction: On 6 March we published a story "Birdy and the chickboy twins", in which we reported that Derrick Bird met twin ladyboy hookers in the "Spicy Girls A Go Go" bar in the sex resort of Pattaya Beach, Thailand, accompanied by a photograph of the bar. While Derrick Bird was a visitor to this bar, we are happy to make clear that he did not meet the twins in "Spicy Girls A Go Go". We apologise for this error. | 7170 | None | None | None |
| The Association of Leading Hungarian Dental Clinics | Daily Mirror | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE2OQ== | The Association of Leading Hungarian Dental Clinics approached the Press Complaints Commission, via Mackrell Turner Garrett Solicitors, with concerns about an article reporting a woman's negative experience of travelling to Hungary for specialist dental treatment. The complainants said that the piece would mislead readers as to the nature of the treatment received, the tools used and the alleged injuries suffered by the woman. | 2011-06-01 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the newspaper removed the online article as a gesture of goodwill and arranged for the publication of the following correction in order to address the outstanding concerns about the accuracy of the coverage: Following the article "Cut Price Trip To Fix Teeth Left Me With A Broken Jaw" (31 Jan) we incorrectly stated that Sherree Rolf had been left with a broken Jaw following dental surgery in Hungary. In fact, she suffered from a dislocated jaw. | 7169 | None | None | None |
| Mr Andrew Murray | fishupdate.com | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE2MA== | Mr Andrew Murray, son of Sheryll Murray MP, complained to the Press Complaints Commission that an article had reported inaccurately that his father Neil Murray had drowned after falling from his vessel while out fishing. In fact, Mr Murray's body had been found on board his boat. | 2011-05-27 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the website published the following correction: Fishupdate would like to correct the error made regarding, Cornish fisherman Neil Murray, husband of South East Cornwall MP Sheryll Murray. Mr Murray did not drown as suggested in our headline and report of March 28th this year and was actually found on board his vessel. The initial information was supplied to us in good faith from a normally reliable source and similar reports were carried at the time by a number of other news organisations. Mr Murray was a highly respected West Country fisherman of long standing, and we would apologise to Mrs Murray and her family for any distress our report may have caused. | 7160 | None | None | None |
| Mr Andrew Murray | Mail Online | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE1OQ== | Mr Andrew Murray, son of Sheryll Murray MP, complained to the Press Complaints Commission that an article had reported inaccurately that his father Neil Murray had drowned after falling from his vessel while out fishing. In fact, Mr Murray's body had been found on board his boat. | 2011-05-27 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated the publication of the following correction: A report carried online on 25 March (Fisherman husband of Tory MP drowns after becoming tangled up in his own net) stated that it was believed that Neil Murray, husband of East Cornwall MP Sheryll Murray, had drowned after falling overboard. We now understand that this was incorrect, and that Mr Murray was found on board his vessel. We are sorry for the error. | 7159 | None | None | None |
| Susan Jarvis | Daily Mail | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE2Nw== | Susan Jarvis complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had published an article about the various ways in which people adorn the graves of their loved ones accompanied by a photograph of her son's grave. The complainant considered the use of the image without her consent was both intrusive and insensitive and she made clear her view that it was not the newspaper's place to tell families how to express their grief. The complainant was further concerned that having complained directly to the journalist concerned, no reply had been received. | 2011-05-26 | 3, 5 | While the newspaper explained that the image of the ornately decorated grave was taken in a publicly accessible cemetery, it made clear that there was no intention to intrude into the grief of the complainant or her family and it regretted the upset caused by the publication of the photograph. The complaint was resolved when the newspaper arranged for the prompt removal of the online photograph, annotated its image library with the complainant's concerns and provided a private letter for the complainant from the journalist responsible for the piece. | 7167 | None | None | None |
| Samaritans | Wrexham Leader | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE1OA== | Ms Nicola Peckett, Head of Communications for Samaritans, complained to the Press Complaints Commission that an article contained excessive detail about the suicide of a man who had died by inhalation of carbon monoxide. | 2011-05-26 | 5 | The newspaper said the article in question had been one of a number of inquest reports published in the same edition and that the judgements about which details to include were often very difficult. It was aware of the requirements in the Code of Practice and encouraged its staff to consider the practical implications of the Code. On this occasion, with hindsight, it acknowledged that the level of detail perhaps was too high. The matter was resolved in light of this acknowledgment. | 7158 | None | None | None |
| Sir Alan Langlands | Daily Mail | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE1Nw== | Sir Alan Langlands of the Higher Education Funding Council for England complained to the Press Complaints Commission that an article had seriously misrepresented the conclusions of the National Audit Office's report on "Regulating Financial Sustainability in Higher Education" and presented a misleading and distorted picture of the financial health of universities. He was particularly concerned about the article's central claim that ‘seven universities were on the brink of closure' / ‘faced imminent closure', stating that there was nothing in the report to support such a conclusion. | 2011-05-25 | 1 | While the newspaper did not accept that its article was in breach of Clause 1 of the Editors' Code, the matter was resolved when the PCC negotiated the publication of the following letter: Your article a few weeks ago which claimed ‘seven ailing universities' were on the brink of closure' misrepresents the findings of National Audit Office's report and gives a misleading impression of these institutions' financial health. Although the NAO mentioned seven institutions as being ‘at higher risk', nowhere does the report state that they face imminent closure. The conclusion that many universities are in dire financial straits does not reflect the Higher Education Funding Council for England analysis quoted in the report. This said that the sector is in a sound financial position and ready to face future challenges. Total income for higher education institutions in England in 2009-10 was £22.2 billion, a 5 per cent increase on the previous year. Sir Alan Langlands Higher Education Funding Council for England Bristol | 7157 | None | None | None |
| Ian Strachan | Press & Journal | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE2Ng== | Ian Strachan complained to the Press Complaints Commission that an article was inaccurate in stating that he had served 22 months in prison; in fact it was 30 months. He also disputed that he had ever claimed to be a "friend of royalty". | 2011-05-24 | 1 | The matter was resolved when the PCC negotiated publication of the following clarification, under the heading "Release from prison of Aberdeen-born man": In an article in August last year we referred to the release from prison of Aberdeen-born Ian Strachan, who had been convicted of blackmailing an unnamed member of the Royal Family. Mr Strachan has asked us to clarify that he served 30 months in jail in total, not 22. In addition, he says he never claimed to be a "friend of royalty", although he was acquainted with some members of the Royal Family. | 7166 | None | None | None |
| Mrs Vicky Cattell | Evening Standard | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE2NQ== | Mrs Vicky Cattell complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had published claims about the cause of her daughter's death before it had been established by the post mortem. | 2011-05-24 | 1, 3 | The complaint was resolved when the newspaper altered the online article to remove the reference and published an article by the complainant highlighting the dangers of ketamine. | 7165 | None | None | None |
| Mrs Vicky Cattell | Hackney Gazette | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE2NA== | Mrs Vicky Cattell complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had published claims about the cause of her daughter's death before it had been established by the post mortem. | 2011-05-24 | 1, 3 | The complaint was resolved when the newspaper stated that the information had been supplied by the police, and offered to publish an article, to be written by the complainant, about the misuse of ketamine. | 7164 | None | None | None |
| Miss Lisa Anne Docherty | The Scottish Sun | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE2Mw== | Miss Lisa Anne Docherty complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had published several inaccuracies about her. She was concerned it had incorrectly stated that she had previously been in the army, that she had five children and gave inaccurate information regarding operations she had undergone. | 2011-05-24 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the newspaper removed the article from its website and made undertakings about attempts to contact the complainant in the future. | 7163 | None | None | None |
| Mr Faisal | Daily Mail | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE2Mg== | Mr Faisal complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the publication of a photograph depicting Muslim women in the context of an article about illegal immigration was misleading. | 2011-05-24 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the newspaper removed the photograph from the online article. | 7162 | None | None | None |
| Mr Ian Allen | Daily Mail | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE2MQ== | Mr Ian Allen of London complained to the Press Complaints Commission that two articles reporting on the recent industrial dispute between the London Fire Brigade and the Fire Brigade Union were inaccurate and misleading. In particular, he said that the overwhelming majority fire crew members could not ‘expect to pocket up to £50,000 a year after overtime' and that it was untrue to state that ‘talks had collapsed when the [Union] demanded a £10,000 pay rise'. He also objected to the newspaper's reference to firefighters as ‘firemen', which he felt was discriminatory, and suggested that the employees involved in the dispute were male only. | 2011-05-24 | 1 | The newspaper maintained that the talks did collapse as a result of the Union pay demand, and denied that its reference to firefighters as ‘firemen' was misleading or discriminatory. However, the matter was resolved when the PCC negotiated the publication of the following clarification in respect of fire crews' annual salary: Our 28 October article last year ‘Striking firemen want £10,000 pay rise' mentioned that ‘fire crews could already expect to pocket up to £50,000 a year after overtime'. We would like to clarify that this top sum referred to what a senior manager might expect to earn. We are sorry if this was misunderstood. | 7161 | None | None | None |
| Maaike Voorhoeve | Daily Mail | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE1Ng== | Maaike Voorhoeve complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had published an article about the work-life balance achieved by Dutch women in which she was misquoted. The complainant further argued that she was misrepresented as a woman who had a casual attitude to work - spending hours a day chatting in cafes and relying on her boyfriend financially - when this was entirely contrary to her actual lifestyle. | 2011-05-24 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated the removal of the online article and the provision of a private letter of apology from the newspaper to the complainant. The newspaper also contacted other online news sources responsible for republishing the piece on an informal basis with a request for the removal of their versions of the article. | 7156 | None | None | None |
| Donna Fleming | Pick Me Up | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE1NA== | Mrs Donna Fleming complained to the Press Complaints Commission that Pick Me Up had paid an associate of a convicted criminal for an article of 8 July 2010 headlined "Forensics tore my flat apart" in breach of Clause 16 (Payment to criminals) of the Editors' Code of Practice. The complaint was upheld. The article was a first person account of a woman (Emma Cooke) who had discovered she had slept with a man (Scott Riley) on the night he had killed the complainant's mother. The complainant said that Emma Cooke's association with Scott Riley was not merely a fleeting one, but that they were longer standing acquaintances who shared the same friends. She saw no purpose to the article other than financial gain for both the magazine and Ms Cooke at the expense of her mother's death. The magazine did not consider that Emma Cooke amounted to an "associate" of Scott Riley in the context of Clause 16 of the Code. It did not believe that the term encompassed passing acquaintances. By having a one night stand with an individual she later found out to be a killer, the magazine maintained that Emma Cooke was also a victim of Scott Riley and entitled to tell her story. | 2011-05-20 | 1, 5, 16 | None | 7154 | Upheld | Freedom of expression dictates that individuals are generally entitled to tell their stories - regardless of their involvement or association with crimes - and magazines and newspapers are permitted to publish such stories. However, the Editors' Code places certain restrictions on whether newspapers and magazines are entitled to offer payment for them. Clause 16 (Payment to criminals) prohibits payment to "convicted or confessed criminals or to their associates - who may include family, friends and colleagues" for stories which "seek to exploit a particular crime". It was the Commission's view that the sexual relationship between Ms Cooke and Mr Riley placed Ms Cooke within the reasonable definition of the term "associate". There was also some suggestion of a pre-existing acquaintance between the two. The article was focused entirely on Ms Cooke's association with a murderer immediately after he had committed the crime. In the Commission's opinion, there could be no doubt that the story, therefore, exploited the existence of that crime. While Ms Cooke had a right to discuss her experiences, the Commission did not consider that payment for the story was justified in this instance. The complaint was upheld. ****************** Mrs Fleming also complained that the article included a number of inaccuracies in breach of Clause 1 (Accuracy) and represented an intrusion into her family's grief in breach of Clause 5 (Intrusion into grief or shock) of the Editors' Code. The complaint was not upheld. The complainant considered that the publication of the article showed a lack of compassion for the family at an extremely distressing time. She found the images used to illustrate the article highly distasteful, especially given that she and her family had been unaware of the type of knife used by Scott Riley. She also pointed out a number of inaccuracies: that the image of the car in the article was the wrong colour; that Emma Cooke had not met up with Scott Riley at 3am, but rather some time later; and that Scott Riley had been arrested by police five days after the crime (not three) and was not charged until several months later (not at the time of arrest). The magazine stated that it had taken care not to include gratuitous details or details which did not already exist in the public domain about the death of the complainant's mother. Attempts had been made to contact the family through the police without success. The images of the car and knife used were generic and intended to support the story visually. The magazine pointed out the article had stated that Emma Cooke had left the nightclub at 3am and subsequently seen Scott Riley rather than seeing him at 3am. Adjudication The publication of a story relating to the death of her mother would naturally be distressing for the complainant and her family. However, Ms Cooke was entitled to tell her story regarding her involvement with Scott Riley. In the Commission's view, the article did not include information that was gratuitously graphic or out of proportion to what was already in the public domain. While the accompanying image of a knife may have been distasteful, the Commission did not consider that the article was in breach of Clause 5 (Intrusion into grief or shock) of the Code. The complainant had highlighted a number of minor inaccuracies in the article. It is important that newspapers and magazines take care at all times that information they publish is correct. That said, the Commission had regard for the nature of the article, which was Emma Cooke's own account of her personal experience of the incident and the aftermath. Readers would be aware that the article reflected her own memory and interpretation of the events, rather than necessarily being simply a factual report. The discrepancies highlighted by the complainant would not significantly impact upon readers' understanding of the crime and the outcome. The Commission acknowledged the areas of dispute, but found that there was no breach of Clause 1 (Accuracy) of the Code. | None |
| Zac Goldsmith MP | The Sunday Times | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE0NA== | Zac Goldsmith MP complained to the Press Complaints Commission that reference to him, including the publication of his photograph, in an article about the Treasury's planned closure of a stamp duty loophole was inaccurate and misleading; in fact, he had always paid full stamp duty on his properties. | 2011-05-20 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated the publication of the following clarification, in the newspaper and online: We are happy to make clear that Zac Goldsmith (Super-rich to lose stamp duty dodge, March 6) has always paid full stamp duty on his properties and that the use of his photograph to illustrate the article was not intended to suggest otherwise. We regret any confusion caused. | 7144 | None | None | None |
| Jacques More | Pick Me Up | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE0MQ== | Jacques More complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the magazine had published a "real life" article containing a number of inaccuracies and misleading statements regarding his appearance, his relationship with an ex-work colleague and the nature of his advances towards her. | 2011-05-20 | 1 | The magazine explained that the article was a first-person account of events and the woman who had provided the story had confirmed that the details were correct during a read back. However, it responded positively to the complainant's concerns and, as a gesture of goodwill, removed the online article. The complainant was satisfied with this action as a resolution to his complaint. | 7141 | None | None | None |
| Disability Alliance | Daily Mail | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE0Mw== | Neil Coyle, the Director of Policy for the Disability Alliance, complained to the Press Complaints Commission - with the support of a number of other prominent charity organisations - that the newspaper had published a misleading article on the subject of disability related benefits. The complainant said the article was inaccurate when it stated that half of the 3.2 million people on Disability Living Allowance (DLA) had never been asked for evidence to back up their claims when, in fact, the claim forms itself acts as evidentiary support. | 2011-05-19 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated the publication of the following letter: "The great disability benefit free-for-all" (Mail) suggested that half the disabled people receiving Disability Living Allowance hadn't provided evidence of their needs. This was misleading - and appeared as the Government plans £2 billion worth of cuts to DLA. Disabled people seeking DLA have to complete a detailed claim and often ask a GP to provide information. Many are required to attend a medical assessment and the Department of Work and Pensions also conducts further checks. There is no factual basis to suggest widespread DLA abuse: the DWP estimates DLA fraud at 0.5 per cent, but plans to cut spending on it by 20 per cent. Perversely, the Government's latest initiative will require a new assessment costing £675 million and mean routinely checking disabled people whose conditions are unchanged, such as those who are blind. The last Conservative government introduced DLA to help with disability-related higher costs of living, but a third of disabled people still live in poverty. DLA contributes towards equipment not provided by the NHS or higher heating bills to manage health conditions for example. The importance of DLA to vulnerable individuals cannot be disputed. The 1997 Benefit Integrity Project led to the suicide of some disabled people. As the impending cuts are implemented, we fear history being repeated. Neil Coyle, Disability Alliance, and representatives of Action for ME, Radar, Mind, the Learning Disability Coalition, Breast Cancer Care, Action for Blind People, MND Association, Parkinson's UK, the TUC, Guide Dogs and Arthritis Care. | 7143 | None | None | None |
| Croydon Council | Croydon Advertiser | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE0Mg== | Croydon Council complained that an article which claimed that there had been ‘lengthy delays' in the provision of adaptations to social housing for disabled and elderly council tenants contained a number of inaccuracies. In particular, the complainant was concerned about the inaccuracy of claims that the budget for adaptations had been cut by £500,000; that extra money for the budget ‘failed to materialise'; and that - despite contacting the council 6 months ago - one resident was ‘still waiting for council staff to visit his house'. | 2011-05-18 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated the publication of the following correction: In the article ‘Residents face a long wait for needed improvements' (February 11) we suggested that Croydon Council planned to cut £500,000 from its adaptations budget for disabled residents living in council accommodation. The Advertiser would like to point out that, at the time of going to press, the plan was to reduce the budget by £50,000, not the figure stated in the article. The article also suggested that ‘extra money failed to materialise', but Croydon Council would like to state that extra money was put into the adaptations budget. We also featured the case of local resident, Stuart Stone, stating that - despite contacting the council six months ago to arrange an occupational therapy assessment - he was still waiting for council staff to visit his house. Croydon Council would like to make clear that the first record they have of Mr Stone contacting them was in February 2011. The council would also like to stress that a £1.9m disabled facilities grant is available for tenants in privately rented accommodation. The Advertiser is happy to clarify these points and apologises for any inconvenience caused. | 7142 | None | None | None |
| Mr and Mrs Lee Bull | Western Mail | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE1Mw== | Mr and Mrs Lee Bull complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had published inaccuracies in relation to a road traffic collision in which they had been involved. | 2011-05-17 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated the publication of the following clarification: Talbot Green collision: clarification On December 13, we printed a picture and report regarding a road traffic collision between an ambulance and a car, which happened on December 12 at the junction of the A4119 and Talbot Road in Talbot Green. We did not intend to suggest either party was to blame for the incident. We apologise for any confusion or upset caused. We also reported that the driver of the car received treatment from the crew of the ambulance involved in the incident, based on information from the Welsh Ambulance Service, which stands by it. However, the driver of the car has asked us to make clear that he disputes this claim. | 7153 | None | None | None |
| Mr and Mrs Lee Bull | South Wales Echo | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE1Mg== | Mr and Mrs Lee Bull complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had published inaccuracies in relation to a road traffic collision in which they had been involved. | 2011-05-17 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated the publication of the following clarification: Talbot Green collision: clarification On December 13, we printed a picture and report regarding a road traffic collision between an ambulance and a car, which happened on December 12 at the junction of the A4119 and Talbot Road in Talbot Green. We did not intend to suggest either party was to blame for the incident. We apologise for any confusion or upset caused. We also reported that the driver of the car received treatment from the crew of the ambulance involved in the incident, based on information from the Welsh Ambulance Service, which stands by it. However, the driver of the car has asked us to make clear that he disputes this claim. | 7152 | None | None | None |
| Mr and Mrs Lee Bull | Pontypridd Observer | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE1MQ== | Mr and Mrs Lee Bull complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had published inaccuracies in relation to a road traffic collision in which they had been involved. | 2011-05-17 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated the publication of the following clarification: Talbot Green collision: clarification On December 13, we printed a picture and report regarding a road traffic collision between an ambulance and a car, which happened on December 12 at the junction of the A4119 and Talbot Road in Talbot Green. We did not intend to suggest either party was to blame for the incident. We apologise for any confusion or upset caused. We also reported that the driver of the car received treatment from the crew of the ambulance involved in the incident, based on information from the Welsh Ambulance Service, which stands by it. However, the driver of the car has asked us to make clear that he disputes this claim. | 7151 | None | None | None |
| Camilla Sutcliffe | The Daily Telegraph | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE1MA== | Camilla Sutcliffe complained to the Press Complaints Commission on behalf of East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust that the newspaper had published misleading information in respect of the Trust's decision to close Accident & Emergency services at Burney hospital. | 2011-05-17 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated the publication of the following letter from the Trust in the newspaper and with the article online: Your report on the impact of the private finance initiative (PFI) on A&E units ("Casualty units shut to pay for private finance hospital contracts", January 27) did not tell the whole story. The East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust did not close the A&E at Burnley General Hospital to help pay for a new PFI hospital at Blackburn. A clinically led reconfiguration of a range of services centralises emergency care at Royal Blackburn Hospital, while an urgent care centre remains at Burnley. The result has been reduced deaths among emergency patients in East Lancashire. Lynn Wissett Deputy Chief Executive East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust Blackburn Lancashire | 7150 | None | None | None |
| A man | Daily Record | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE0OQ== | A man complained to the Press Complaints Commission that an article about a man who had been detained indefinitely at the State Hospital, Carstairs, was inaccurate in referring to him as having been "caged". The complainant said this type of language was likely to increase the stigma attached to mental illness. The PCC's guidance on reporting mental health issues specifically refers to the term "caged" as being inaccurate as a description of a person who has been detained in a secure hospital. | 2011-05-17 | 1 | The matter was resolved when the PCC negotiated an amendment to the online version of the article, so that the word "caged" was changed to "detained". A member of the PCC's staff discussed the matter with key editorial staff at the newspaper. | 7149 | None | None | None |
| Professor Martha Mundy | Jewish Chronicle | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE0OA== | Professor Martha Mundy complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had published an inaccurate and misleading account of a dispute that had taken place following a student union debate at the London School of Economics about a possible academic boycott of Israel. | 2011-05-17 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated the amendment of the article online to make clear the complainant's position on the matter. | 7148 | None | None | None |
| Network Private Hire | Sunday Mail | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE0Nw== | Network Private Hire complained to the Press Complaints Commission through Bannatyne, Kirkwood, France & Co Solicitors that an article had stated inaccurately that James Baxter was a boss and a major share-holder of Network Private Hire. In fact he had only ever been a minority share-holder and was not a director of the company. | 2011-05-17 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated the publication of the following clarification: NETWORK PRIVATE HIRE We recently reported on James Baxter, formerly a share-holder of Network Private Hire. We would like to clarify that Mr Baxter never had direct ownership of the Company, was only a minority share-holder, and was never a director or boss of Network Private Hire. | 7147 | None | None | None |
| A man | The Argus | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE0Ng== | A man complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had published his job title and company after he had specifically requested that it did not. | 2011-05-17 | 1, 3 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated a private letter of apology from the newspaper to the complainant for failing to comply with his request. | 7146 | None | None | None |
| West London Mental Health Trust | Mail Online | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzE0NQ== | Ms Charlene Stephenson, Communications Manager for West London Mental Health NHS Trust complained to the Press Complaints Commission that an article had claimed incorrectly that Ian Brady was a patient at Broadmoor Hospital. She also said that the article had made speculative claims that patients at the hospital believed that they should be allowed to claim benefits. | 2011-05-17 | 1 | The online publication removed the reference to Ian Brady as a patient, and explained that it had occurred as a result of human error. It said that the article was not speculative as it had referred specifically to the views of four patients and one former patient, whose position was that they should be allowed to claim benefits. However, the article was slightly amended to reflect more clearly that these claims were not general. The complaint was resolved on this basis. | 7145 | None | None | None |
| Andrew Perry | The Mail on Sunday | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzEyNg== | Andrew Perry, a Crown Advocate for the Crown Prosecution Service, complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had published a number of inaccuracies in an article about a presentation he had given while on secondment to Road Safety Support Ltd. | 2011-05-11 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated the publication of a correction and the removal of the article from the newspaper's online archive. The following correction was published in the newspaper: Andrew Perry An article on September 5, 2010, "... fury as police cash in on car phone picture", said Andrew Perry, a CPS lawyer, might have been in contempt of court by giving a presentation using an evidence picture of footballer Jermain Defoe using a mobile phone while driving, before the case had been heard. In fact the picture related to a speeding case that had already concluded; a mobile phone case mentioned in the article had not yet begun. We are happy to set the record straight. The following correction was published online: Andrew Perry An article on September 5, 2010, "...fury as police cash in on car phone picture" said Andrew Perry, a CPS lawyer, might have been in contempt of court by giving a presentation using an evidence picture of footballer Jermain Defoe using a mobile phone while driving, before the case had been heard. In fact the picture related to a speeding case, prosecuted by Mr Perry, that had already concluded; a mobile phone case mentioned in the article had not yet begun. We are happy to set the record straight. | 7126 | None | None | None |
| Prince Jonathan Doria Pamphilj | The Sunday Times | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzEzOQ== | Prince Jonathan Doria Pamphilj complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had published two inaccurate articles. The first wrongly referred to civil partner of five years as his "boyfriend" and contained other errors relating to relating to a dispute over inheritance. The second piece wrongly stated that the complainant's historical family home, Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, had once played host to members of the SS. | 2011-05-11 | 1 | The PCC negotiated the amendment of the online article to remove the "boyfriend" reference and correct the other issues identified regarding a family court case, the birthplace of the complainant's son and the inheritance rights of his children. The complaint was resolved in full when the reporter responsible for the article about the royal palace apologised directly to the complainant and the newspaper arranged for the publication of the following correction in its dedicated corrections column: An article on private palaces in Rome (At home with the Roman A-list, Travel, April 3) implied that the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj had received German SS officers as guests during the war. This was incorrect and unintentional. The wartime Prince Filippo Andrea VI Doria Pamphilj was a prominent anti-Fascist whose palace was forcibly occupied by the SS while he was in hiding. We apologise to the present Prince and his family. | 7139 | None | None | None |
| Mr Anthony Bailey OBE | Daily Mail | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzEyNA== | Mr Anthony Bailey OBE complained to the Press Complaints Commission that an article had referred to an accusation of blackmail made against him in 1995, but had failed to make clear that the case was dismissed in a magistrate's court, which found that the person making the allegation was a ‘fraud' and an ‘imposter'. The article had also stated that the Labour Party's acceptance of a donation by the complainant was misguided, when in fact - after refusing a donation in 2005 - the Labour Party apologised for the error and welcomed donations from the complainant. | 2011-05-11 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated the publication of the following clarification: Anthony Bailey Further to a column by freelance commentator Mark Seddon on 28 August 2010 we wish to clarify that an accusation of blackmail against Anthony Bailey OBE was thrown out by a magistrate's court in 1995, which concluded that his accuser was himself ‘a fraud and an imposter'. Mr Bailey was awarded full costs. We regret this was omitted from our report and are happy to make clear that, after refusing a donation from him in 2005, the Labour Party subsequently agreed their reason for the rejection had been mistaken and accepted further donations from him. We apologise that these omissions caused distress. | 7124 | None | None | None |
| Graham Elwell | Express & Star | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzEzOA== | Graham Elwell complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had published an article which contained a number of inaccuracies relating to plans to develop homes on a site in Rugeley, Staffordshire. | 2011-05-11 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated the publication of the following correction and apology: A report in the Express & Star on March 31 wrongly stated that Elwell Transport plan to build 100 homes on the Pear Tree estate in Rugeley and had made connections to the drainage system. This information was incorrect. The company plans to build 2 houses and although pipes have been laid, they have not been connected. We apologise for these errors in our report. | 7138 | None | None | None |
| Mr Julian Williams | The Sun | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzEzNg== | Mr Julian Williams on behalf of SOFA Project complained to the Press Complaints Commission that an article which reported on a man convicted of rape who was allowed out of jail to work in the SOFA Project furniture warehouse contained inaccuracies and was misleading. | 2011-05-11 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated the removal of the online article and the marking of the newspaper's files, in addition to the offer of a letter. | 7136 | None | None | None |
| Mr Lee Vaughan | Western Morning News | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzEzNQ== | Mr Lee Vaughan complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had published an article reporting on his conviction which contained inaccuracies and was misleading. | 2011-05-11 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated the publication of the following correction: Lee Vaughan On February 4, 2011, we reported the jailing of Lee Vaughan who had pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods and three charges of attempted burglary. Our report wrongly stated that Vaughan had ‘stolen' war medals from a veteran. Although Vaughan had been charged with stealing the medals the court accepted Vaughan's not guilty plea to that offence. We are happy to make the position clear. | 7135 | None | None | None |
| Mr Lee Vaughan | Herald Express | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzEzNA== | Mr Lee Vaughan complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had published an article reporting on his conviction which contained inaccuracies and was misleading. | 2011-05-11 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the newspaper published the following correction: War medals On February 4, 2011, we reported the jailing of Lee Vaughan who had pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods and three charges of attempted burglary. Our report wrongly stated that Vaughan had ‘stolen' war medals from a veteran. Although Vaughan had been charged with stealing the medals the court accepted Vaughan's not guilty plea to that charge. We are happy to make the position clear. | 7134 | None | None | None |
| Mr Lee Vaughan | The Sun | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzEzMw== | Mr Lee Vaughan complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had published an article reporting on his conviction contained inaccuracies and was misleading. | 2011-05-11 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the newspaper annotated its records to ensure that the inaccuracies were not repeated. | 7133 | None | None | None |
| Peter Reynolds | Lancashire Evening Post | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzEzMg== | Peter Reynolds, leader of Cannabis Law Reform, complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had published inaccurate and misleading information about the potential harm of cannabis. | 2011-05-11 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated the publication of the following letter from the complainant: Your article "Teenage Drug Use Rises" on 28th February 2011, highlights how ineffective the prohibition of cannabis is. Cannabis Law Reform (CLEAR) seeks to represent the interests of the six million people in Britain that use cannabis regularly. We advocate a system of regulation which will protect children and the vulnerable. Under the present system, it is easier for children to buy cannabis than it is to buy cigarettes or alcohol. This is a ridiculous, irresponsible and self-defeating policy. Clearly, no psychoactive substance should be used when the brain is still developing. However, what makes matters even worse is the sort of information which you were provided with by the Lancashire Drug and Alcohol Action Team. Samantha Jones said that cannabis is "far from being a safe drug" yet Professor Leslie Iversen, the government's chief drugs advisor says cannabis is "one of the safer recreational drugs". In fact, the latest evidence is that cannabis is at least 100 times safer than alcohol and 1000 times less toxic. Also, Ms Jones says that cannabis increases the risk of cancer and lung disease. However, the largest study of its type was carried out by Dr Donald Tashkin of UCLA in 2006 who found that cannabis has a protective effect against lung damage and cancer, even inhibiting the carcinogenic effects of tobacco smoke. However much money it wastes, the government is not going to stop people using cannabis. A tax and regulate regime would produce a net benefit of at least £6 billion per annum to the UK economy and much better protection for children. How much longer do we have to wait before we get a drugs policy that is based on facts and evidence, rather than hysteria and misinformation? Peter Reynolds, Leader, Cannabis Law Reform | 7132 | None | None | None |
| A woman | Dumfries & Galloway Standard | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzEzMQ== | A woman complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had published information that could identify a child victim of crime in breach of Clause 7 (Children in sex cases) and Clause 11 (Victims of sexual assault). | 2011-05-11 | 7, 11 | The newspaper said that careful consideration had gone into the wording of the article to ensure that the victim in the case could not be identified. It did not accept that there had been a breach of the Code, but expressed regret that the coverage had caused upset. On receipt of the complaint, it had taken immediate action to ensure that the complainant's concerns were reflected in further coverage of the case. The matter was resolved on the basis of the newspaper's detailed explanation of how it takes the welfare of victims into account when it covers such cases. | 7131 | None | None | None |
| Full Fact | The Sun | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzEzMA== | Full Fact complained to the Press Complaints Commission that an article reporting on life expectancy on the Gurnos estate in Merthyr Tydfil was inaccurate and misleading. | 2011-05-11 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated the publication of the following correction in the newspaper, in addition to the removal of the online article and the marking of the newspaper's files: Fil of Life Our article (February 12) stated life expectancy on the Gurnos estate in Merthyr Tydfil was 58.8 years. In fact, this refers to healthy life expectancy and the average life expectancy is 70 years, which is not lower than Iraq or Haiti as we reported. | 7130 | None | None | None |
| Mr Michael Shaw | The Daily Telegraph | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzEyOQ== | Mr Michael Shaw from Edinburgh complained to the Press Complaints Commission about an online article which reported that, in the course of a recent protest in Manchester, NUS President Aaron Porter had been ‘surrounded' by demonstrators who ‘barracked [him] with anti-Semitic insults'. The complainant, who was positioned in close proximity to Mr Porter during the demonstration, said that he had not heard anti-Semitic abuse of any kind. He was concerned that the article gave the erroneous impression of mass chants of racism by protestors. | 2011-05-11 | 1 | The matter was resolved when the PCC negotiated the addition of a link to YouTube footage of the protest to the article, as well as the following statement: Following the publication of this article, we have been contacted by Mr Michael Shaw, a student who was positioned in close proximity to Mr Porter during the protest. Mr Shaw says that he did not hear any anti-Semitic abuse being chanted. | 7129 | None | None | None |
| A married couple | The Scottish Sun | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzEyOA== | A married couple complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had quoted them in a misleading context in breach of Clause 1 (Accuracy) of the Editors' Code and intruded into their private lives in breach of Clause 3 (Privacy) of the Code. | 2011-05-11 | 1, 3 | The newspaper did not accept that it had breached the Code. Nonetheless, the matter was resolved when the Commission negotiated the removal of the article from the newspaper's online archive. | 7128 | None | None | None |
| A married couple | News of the World (Scottish edition) | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzEyNw== | A married couple complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had quoted them in a misleading context in breach of Clause 1 (Accuracy) of the Editors' Code and intruded into their private lives in breach of Clause 3 (Privacy) of the Code. | 2011-05-11 | 1, 3 | The newspaper did not accept that it had breached the Code. Nonetheless, the matter was resolved when the Commission negotiated a private letter from the newspaper to the complainants. | 7127 | None | None | None |
| Mr Michael Shaw | Daily Mail | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzEyNQ== | Mr Michael Shaw from Edinburgh complained to the Press Complaints Commission about an online article which reported that, in the course of a recent protest in Manchester, NUS President Aaron Porter had been ‘surrounded' by demonstrators who ‘hurled' anti-Semitic abuse at him. The complainant, who was positioned in close to proximity to Mr Porter during the demonstration, said that he had not heard anti-Semitic abuse of any kind. He was concerned that the article gave the erroneous impression of mass chants of racism by protestors. | 2011-05-11 | 1 | The matter was resolved when the PCC negotiated the addition of YouTube footage of the protest to the article, as well as the following statement: Further to publication of this article, we have been contacted by Mr Michael Shaw, a student who was positioned in close to proximity to Mr Porter during the protest. Mr Shaw denies that anti-Semitic abuse of any kind was chanted, stating that he heard nothing to support such an assertion. | 7125 | None | None | None |
| Mr David Amess | The Echo (Southend) | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzEyMw== | Mr David Amess, Member of Parliament for Southend West, complained to the Press Complaints Commission that an article which reported a question he had asked in Parliament about sustainable local transport was inaccurate and misleading. | 2011-05-11 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated the publication of the following apology, in addition to the removal of the original article and the readers' comments which accompanied it: In an article on December 7, to which readers responded in published letters, the Echo reported questions asked in Parliament by David Amess MP in relation to sustainable local transport, in which he said "Like most cycle networks in the country, ours does not best meet the needs of centenarians". We would like to make clear that Mr Amess's comments were intended to emphasise his overall point that the ageing population rely on buses rather than bicycles; he was not asking for better provisions for hundred-year-old cyclists. We apologise to Mr Amess for any distress caused and are happy to set the record straight. | 7123 | None | None | None |
| Ian Strachan | Evening Standard | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzEyMg== | Ian Strachan complained to the Press Complaints Commission that an article containing inaccuracies (which had originally been published by the Daily Mail in 2008) was available on the newspaper's website. He said the piece was incorrect in a number of respects, especially in claims that he: was bisexual and had had an affair with a man; was penniless and regularly took financial advantage of others. | 2011-05-11 | 1 | The matter was resolved when the PCC negotiated the removal of the piece from the newspaper's website. | 7122 | None | None | None |
| Ian Strachan | Daily Mail | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzEyMQ== | Ian Strachan complained to the Press Complaints Commission that articles published in 2007 and 2008 in the Daily Mail (which remained available on the newspaper's website) were inaccurate on a number of points. In particular, he said that the newspaper was wrong to have referred to him as bisexual - he is heterosexual and has never had anything other than platonic relationships with men. A specific allegation that he had once had an affair with a male aide to the royal family was untrue and had caused especial distress. He said the newspaper was also wrong to have suggested he: had a regular cocaine habit; had pretended to be dead to avoid paying a woman, Laura Gosling (the source for the story), money she claimed he owed her; had claimed his father was a New York judge; had bragged about spending £15,000 on clothes per month; used to cut the labels out of designer clothes to sew them into his own; was in arrears in respect of rent payments and had ‘barely a penny to his name'. | 2011-05-11 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated a series of amendments to the online articles under complaint. A number of the points raised by the complainant were corrected in this way and, in respect of other points, copy was altered to ensure that readers would not be misled into believing that claims by third parties who had spoken to the newspaper were in any way accepted by the complainant. In particular, the 2008 report was amended to make it quite clear that the complainant adamantly denied the allegation of an affair with a male aide to the royal family. | 7121 | None | None | None |
| Samaritans | Daily Post | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzEzNw== | Ms Nicola Peckett, Head of Communications for Samaritans, complained to the Press Complaints Commission that an article contained excessive detail about the suicide of a man who had died by inhalation of carbon monoxide. | 2011-05-11 | 5 | The matter was resolved when the newspaper, after being contacted directly by Samaritans, amended the online version of the piece. A note was also circulated to all relevant editorial staff reminding them of the provisions of Clause 5 (ii) of the Editors' Code and emphasising the need to ensure suicide reports do not contain too much detail about the method used. The complaint was resolved on this basis. | 7137 | None | None | None |
| Liberal Democrat Party | The Daily Telegraph | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzEyMA== | Mr Tim Farron MP, President of the Liberal Democrat Party, complained to the Press Complaints Commission that a series of articles in The Daily Telegraph on 21 December 2010, 22 December 2010 and 23 December 2010 contained information which had been obtained using subterfuge in breach of Clause 10 (Clandestine devices and subterfuge) of the Editors' Code of Practice. The complaint was upheld. The articles quoted a number of comments made by senior Liberal Democrat MPs in their constituency surgeries which had been secretly recorded by the newspaper's journalists posing as constituents. The MPs featured included the Business Secretary, Vince Cable, in addition to Ed Davey, Steve Webb, Michael Moore, Norman Baker, Andrew Stunell, David Heath and Paul Burstow. The complainant - who was formally acting on behalf of the MPs concerned, with their consent - said that the newspaper had embarked on a ‘fishing expedition' "designed solely to entrap Members of Parliament" which had no plausible public interest justification. While robust media scrutiny of politicians was critical for a vibrant democracy, the manner in which the newspaper had sought information in this case had ramifications for the future: this would mean that MPs of all parties would be constrained from engaging in frank discussions with their constituents. He said that the practice threatened to undermine the privileged nature of the relationship between MPs and their constituents. The newspaper denied that it had undertaken a ‘fishing expedition'; rather, it had acted upon specific information it had received from parliamentarians and members of the public. In private meetings at the Conservative party conference in 2010, the editor had been informed by Conservative ministers including a Cabinet minister (themselves informed by local party activists) that the public and private views of some Liberal Democrat ministers were increasingly at odds, particularly on the issue of Coalition policies which had been backed publicly. Similar concerns had also been expressed separately to senior reporters and the issue was raised with several MPs in the course of various engagements. A consistent theme began to emerge of growing Liberal Democrat private dissatisfaction. The newspaper said that the Conservative ministers were understandably reluctant to go on the record, or provide information or contacts in Liberal Democrat constituencies to back up their concerns. Additional enquiries with Liberal Democrat contacts had also led to claims of a growing divide within the party between those who wished to support Nick Clegg, and the Coalition in general, and those who wished for the party to assert its identity more clearly in public. Several people declined to go on the record. At the same time there were claims of Liberal Democrat tension over tuition fees with rumours of ministers wishing to resign (which were strongly denied in public). The newspaper had also been contacted by several readers with the same concerns. After editorial discussion - where it was concluded that most of the information gathered could not be used as it might identify sources - the newspaper began to consider the decision to go undercover to test the allegations. Previous newspaper investigations using extensive subterfuge were discussed, which had not been subject to censure by the PCC. The subterfuge had been kept to a minimum and was proportionate to the circumstances - posing as members of the public at constituency surgeries. The newspaper had been informed that the apparent dissatisfaction was, or potentially was, systemic (an impression strengthened after the first approaches). As such, a decision was taken to approach as many ministers as possible, especially in view of the attempt to establish the weight of its case. While it had attempted to arrange interviews with the entire Liberal Democrat front bench, ten ministers had been visited in total. The newspaper said that its enquiry was undertaken in the public interest: it was predicated on the fact that there was "a reasonable expectation that some legitimate public interest would be served" (a factor to which the Editors' Codebook made reference), based on information received from multiple sources. Visiting constituency surgeries was the only way to do so without disproportionate effort. All the issues related to public policy under the responsibility of the minister and nothing personal had been raised. The manner in which the reporters sought to test the allegations was shown in the transcripts of the interviews which the newspaper provided as part of its evidence. In the event, most of the ministers expressed opinions which were at odds with their public positions and statements: Ed Davey had publicly defended Coalition cuts in October 2010 yet, in the surgery, he had said that he was "gobsmacked" by the announcement on child benefits which was "dreamed up out of the blue" and said that housing benefit cuts were "deeply unacceptable" as they were going to "hit people while they are down"; Vince Cable had spoken carefully in public about the News Corporation bid for BSkyB owing to the legal process, yet had said to the reporters that he had "declared war on Mr Murdoch" ("I have blocked it, using the powers that I have got...his whole empire is now under attack"); Michael Moore had, on the day of the visit, told the BBC that the rise in tuition fees would prevent universities being "starved of the money they need to provide quality education" and - while the issue was "difficult" - there was no "workable alternative" but, to reporters, his view was very different (the decision was "ugly", "horrific" and "a train wreck" and the party's reneging on their election pledge was "the worst crime a politician can commit"); and Paul Burstow had subsequently publicly acknowledged his embarrassment that he had said "I don't want you to trust David Cameron". The newspaper said that its investigation had proved that the Liberal Democrat members of the Government were not consistent in their private and public statements, which it rightly brought to the attention of its readers and the wider public. The newspaper argued that a constituency surgery was not a private forum: while MPs had a duty of confidentiality to their constituents, constituents did not have such a duty for their MPs. The complainant said that it was the public statements and comments of ministers which were the basis of collective ministerial responsibility, regardless of what other views they might hold, and which formed the basis on which politicians were judged by the electorate. | 2011-05-10 | 10 | None | 7120 | Upheld | Clause 10 of the Code states that newspapers "must not seek to obtain or publish material acquired by using hidden cameras or clandestine listening devices". It also makes clear that "engaging in misrepresentation or subterfuge...can generally be justified only in the public interest and then only when the material cannot be obtained by other means". The Commission has consistently ruled that so-called ‘fishing expeditions' - where newspapers employ subterfuge and use clandestine devices without sufficient justification - are unacceptable. In determining whether a newspaper has embarked on a ‘fishing expedition', the Commission must have regard for the circumstances which led to the decision to employ subterfuge. The questions for the Commission in this case were, ultimately, as follows: had the newspaper demonstrated that it had sufficient prima facie grounds for investigation before its reporters were asked to go undercover, such that would justify the recording of numerous MPs at their surgeries without their knowledge; and was such an investigation (using hidden listening devices) justified in the public interest? There was a fine balance to be struck here. The Commission accepted from the outset that there was a broad public interest in the area the newspaper had chosen to investigate: the unity of a Coalition government, which was something of a new political departure in Westminster. The Code's definition of what is in the public interest includes "preventing the public from being misled by an action or statement of an individual or organisation" and the newspaper was seeking to highlight an apparent disparity between comments made by MPs on Coalition policies in public and comments made privately. The newspaper had said that it had acted on information from various sources, who had been unwilling to go on the record. There were some grounds, therefore, for the newspaper's interest in this matter, and for it to devote resources to exploring how the Coalition was working in practice. In the Commission's view, the newspaper had not sought to discount the terms of the Code or the need for adherence to it. However, it felt that, nonetheless, the newspaper had reached the wrong decision in deciding to pursue subterfuge on this occasion for the following reasons. First, the evidence on which the newspaper was acting (such as the Commission could see) was of a general nature. The newspaper did not appear to have any specific information (the significance of which could be established in advance) that the ministers in question had expressed private views at odds with Coalition policy. Rather, it was responding to broad assertions of party-wide disquiet, which perhaps could have been reported on an unattributed basis. It did so by focussing what amounted to disproportionately intrusive attention on a number of MPs (who had been selected purely on the basis of their ministerial position). This was demonstrated by the fact that - as the transcripts made clear - each minister had been asked to respond, in effect, to the same lines of questioning. The Commission considered that there was an important dislocation here between the prima facie evidence and the method used to test it. It was notable, for example, that the newspaper was relying upon off-the-record comments from Conservative ministers on the subject of the Coalition to justify covert recordings of Liberal Democrats on the same subject. Those Ministers were being asked, in the Commission's view, to comment on a series of policy issues with the evident intent of establishing on which subject they might say something newsworthy. Certainly, the level of subterfuge was - contrary to the newspaper's assertion - high. The Commission wished to make it clear that recording individuals using clandestine listening devices without their knowledge was particularly serious and intrusive, requiring a strong public interest defence. Secretly recording a public servant pursuing legitimate public business was without question a serious matter. On this occasion, the Commission was not convinced that the public interest was such as to justify proportionately this level of subterfuge. The newspaper had provided some supporting material to establish the claim in advance that there were differences of opinion and philosophy within the Coalition government. This was, in the context of debate about politics in the UK, significant. But the Commission did not consider that it was enough to warrant the use of undercover reporters taping MPs as they went about their constituency work. The Commission had to have regard for the importance of the democratic process (which it was in the public interest to preserve), which could be threatened if journalists were to be allowed to use hidden devices to record MPs' views, expressed within the confines of their constituency surgeries, in order to test broad claims about policy matters. This was particularly the case in regard to Ministers who were required to act in accordance with the principle of collective responsibility when commenting in public. For the Commission to have sanctioned this method, it would have had to be convinced that a high level of public interest could reasonably have been postulated in advance. It did not believe that the Telegraph - although acting no doubt with legitimate intent - had sufficient grounds, on a prima facie basis, to justify their decision to send the reporters in. The complaint was therefore upheld. The Commission did feel that the newspaper had uncovered material in the public interest regarding the remarks made by Vince Cable about the News Corporation bid for BSkyB, which had led to him being divested of his role in that decision. However, there had been no suggestion that the intention of the newspaper had been to explore how he had been handling the bid (it made clear in its coverage that Mr Cable had spoken "despite not being asked about the issue"), and the newspaper itself had chosen not to make it a focus of its first day's coverage. The test for the Commission was whether there were grounds in the first place to justify the subterfuge: the Cable disclosures about Sky were not relevant to that. Other published material did reveal discrepancies between what Ministers had said representing the Government and what they said to the reporters, and was related to the policy areas highlighted by the reporters (views on particular policies such as, for example, child benefits and tuition fees). The Commission had due regard to the public interest in revealing this information. But, in the end, it did not feel that the public interest was sufficient to provide justification for the subterfuge. The Commission recognised that the issue of how journalists make use of subterfuge deserved scrutiny, and went much wider than the Telegraph's actions on this occasion. It has undertaken to issue further guidance on the subject with a view to ensuring high standards across the industry. Relevant rulings Ryle v News of the World, Report 53 Munro & Bancroft v Evening Standard, Report 54 Monckton v Evening Standard, Report 64 | None |
| Tom Glancz | The Sunday Times | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzExMg== | Tom Glancz complained to the Press Complaints Commission that two of the newspaper's columnists had made inaccurate references to the crime rate in Nottingham in breach of Clause 1 (Accuracy) of the Editors' Code. | 2011-05-06 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated the publication of the following correction: In recent columns, both Daisy Waugh and AA Gill referred to what they believed to be Nottingham's high crime rate. In fact, the city's crime rate fell by 50% from 2002-3 to the year ending in February, and the city was ranked 25th in Home Office figures for violence against the person in 2009-10. We are happy to set the record straight. | 7112 | None | None | None |
| Mr Tim Cowen | Camden New Journal | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzExOA== | Mr Tim Cowen of NSL complained to the Press Complaints Commission about an article reporting on a dispute over working hours in its parking enforcement operation, which it ran on behalf of Camden Council. The complainant was concerned about a Unison claim that NSL had ‘consistently refused to recognise Unison for the purposes of collective bargaining over pay and other issues...despite the fact that a clear majority of staff on the NSL Camden contract were Unison members - the basic criterion for union recognition'. The complainant explained that there was no recognition agreement in place because no evidence of a ‘clear majority' had ever been produced by Unison. He was concerned that this specific allegation had not been put to him prior to publication, with the result that readers might infer that NSL was in breach of trade union law. | 2011-05-05 | 1 | Although the newspaper accepted that it did not ask specifically what NSL thought about union representation, it said that Unison's claim to have a large share of Camden's NSL workforce as members was explained to the complainant prior to publication. Given that no direct comment was made on this point, the newspaper felt that it was reasonable to infer that NSL did not know the size of Unison representation and, therefore, to rely on Unison's claim that a ‘clear majority' existed. While the newspaper did not accept that there had been a breach of the Code, the matter was resolved when the PCC negotiated the publication of the following clarification: A report in the Camden New Journal on December 23 quoted an official from Unison saying that NSL had refused to recognise union, despite there being a majority of the workforce who are Unison members. NSL say they have never refused to recognise Unison and they say they had never received any evidence of Unison membership in Camden. They add that they have now received this evidence for the first time in the last few weeks and are in the process of agreeing recognition in Camden with Unison. | 7118 | None | None | None |
| Dr Julie-Ann Little | Belfast News Letter | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzExNw== | Dr Julie-Anne Little complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had published an article which was accompanied by a photograph of a garage (owned by the complainant) and incorrectly identified it as the location of a double murder that took place in 1991. | 2011-05-05 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated the publication of the following clarification: Cliff Terrace, Castlerock On March 4, we carried a picture of a garage at 10, Cliff Terrace, Castlerock along with a caption which suggested that the bodies of Trevor Buchanan and Lesley Howell had been found there in 1991. We now understand that this was not the case and that the incident did in fact take place at another property. The News Letter is happy to clarify the issue and we regret the error. | 7117 | None | None | None |
| Mr Tim Matthews | Evening Echo (Basildon) | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzExNg== | Mr Tim Matthews on behalf of Mr Paul Lawton, Mrs Evey Upton and Mr David Cooper complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had published an article which was unfair, inaccurate and misleading. In particular, the complainant was concerned that the article reported as fact that Mr Lawton had been paid "thousands of pounds" of housing benefits, and had referred to Mr Lawton as a "dosser". | 2011-05-05 | 1, 12 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated the amendment of the online version of the article and a private letter of apology from the newspaper to the complainant. | 7116 | None | None | None |
| Michael Duckett | Real People | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzExNQ== | Michael Duckett complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the magazine had published a photograph of his mother's grave which he considered intrusive and insensitive as she had passed away very recently and he and his family were still grieving their loss. | 2011-05-05 | 3, 5 | The magazine explained that the article was intended to report the ways in which mourners remember their loved ones and said there was no wish to intrude into the grief of the complainant's family. It regretted the upset caused by the publication of the photograph. The complaint was resolved when the magazine provided a private letter of apology for the complainant. | 7115 | None | None | None |
| Ms Tracy Lyon | The Sun | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzExNA== | Ms Tracy Lyon complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had published an article about a scheme to set up enterprise zones which she considered to have no factual basis. | 2011-05-05 | 1 | The matter was resolved by means of private correspondence between the parties. | 7114 | None | None | None |
| Christopher Hackett | Daily Mirror | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzExMw== | Christopher Hackett complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had published inaccuracies in relation to a court case in which stepson, Reece Kent, had pleaded guilty to a charge of inflicting grievous bodily harm. | 2011-05-05 | 1 | The PCC negotiated the amendment of the article online on two points. The complainant did not wish to prolong the matter further and therefore agreed to settle his complaint on that basis. | 7113 | None | None | None |
| English PEN | The Sun | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzExMQ== | Mr Jonathan Heawood, Director of English PEN, complained to the Press Complaints Commission that an article was inaccurate and misleading when it suggested that a visit by the poet Shazea Quraishi to HMP Bulwood Hall was funded by taxpayers; in fact, the visit was funded by the charity. | 2011-05-05 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when - in addition to the removal of the online article - the PCC negotiated the publication of the following clarification in the newspaper and online: FURTHER to our article about a visit by the poet Shazea Quraishi to Bullwood Hall Prison, (‘Jailbard', February 28) we have been asked to point out her visit was funded by a charity, English PEN, and not from public funds. We are happy to make this clear. | 7111 | None | None | None |
| A man | Staffordshire Newsletter | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzEwNQ== | A man complained to the Press Complaints Commission that an article published in the Staffordshire Newsletter identified a child victim of sex abuse in breach of Clause 7 (Children in sex cases) and Clause 11 (Victims of sexual assault) of the Editors' Code of Practice. The complaint was upheld on the basis that details of the article had the potential to imply the connection between the accused and his victim. This adjudication is written in broad terms to avoid repeating any of the identifying information. The article reported that a man had been jailed after admitting charges of sexual activity with a child. The article named the man and included a photograph of him. The article also referred to the gender of the child, the child's age when the abuse began and the period of time in which the abuse was carried out. The grandfather of the victim, complaining on behalf and with the consent of the victim's mother, contended that the article had effectively identified his grandchild. The complainant was primarily concerned about the newspaper's use of a photograph of the convicted man. Nonetheless, he also confirmed that the other details in the report were very likely to point to his grandchild as the victim of the offences. Consequently, within the child's school and in the local community, the victim's identity was now common knowledge. The newspaper said it was at liberty to publish the name and photograph of the convicted man. The victim had not been identified, in accordance with the reporting restrictions that were in place. The newspaper added that it had not been privy to information about the connection between the victim and the abuser (as the copy had been supplied by a reliable outside agency). | 2011-05-03 | 7, 11 | None | 7105 | Upheld | In addition to the general requirement not to identify victims of sexual assault set out in Clause 11, Clause 7 of the Code states that the press "must not, even if legally free to do so, identify children under 16 who are victims or witnesses in cases involving sex offences". The Code then makes clear how this obligation can be met, including the following: "care must be taken that nothing in the report implies the relationship between the accused and the child". This places a considerable onus on editors to consider how the information they publish might enable those who know the accused to work out the identity of the victim. In this case, it was important first to recognise that the newspaper was fully entitled to identify the convicted man. In accordance with the principle of open justice, those convicted of serious criminal acts such as this should be identified to the wider public. The Code makes this specifically clear. Such identification can include the publication of a photograph of the convicted individual. There was no breach of the Code raised by the photograph on this occasion. The Commission also had to have regard, however, for the additional information contained in the report, which included references to the child and the abuse as well as comments made by prosecution counsel and the judge. While each of the details (which it would not be appropriate to repeat here) might have seemed relatively insignificant, it was clear to the Commission that they had the potential to imply the connection between the accused and his victim. Overall, the Commission did not agree that the newspaper had taken sufficient care to avoid this implication. While it may not have known the full facts about the case, it was the newspaper's responsibility - not the court's or the police's or an outside agency's - to take every possible step to avoid identification. This it had failed to do and the result was a serious, albeit inadvertent, error. The Commission upheld the complaint. | None |
| Full Fact | The Daily Telegraph | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzA5MQ== | Full Fact complained to the Press Complaints Commission that an online article reporting on life expectancy on the Gurnos estate in Merthyr Tydfil was inaccurate and misleading. | 2011-05-03 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated the publication of the following correction: Gurnos Estate Our article (12 Feb) stated that men's life expectancy on the Gurnos estate in Merthyr Tydfil was 58.8 years. In fact, that is the average age of healthy life expectancy. Average life expectancy is 70 years, not lower than Iraq or Haiti as suggested. | 7091 | None | None | None |
| Will Moy of Full Fact | Daily Mail | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzA5Mg== | Will Moy of Full Fact complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had published an inaccuracy in relation to the findings of a review of the legislative framework and arrangements for children with special education needs and disabilities. | 2011-05-03 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated the publication of the following correction: Special needs children We reported, in common with several other newspapers (14 September), that Ofsted had found that schools have wrongly labelled up to 750,000 children as having ‘special education needs'. This was based on our understanding of information provided at a press briefing. To clarify, we are now advised that the true estimate was up to around 450,000. A correction was also appended to the article online. | 7092 | None | None | None |
| Mr Philip Caddick | Chester Chronicle | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzA5MA== | Mr Philip Caddick complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper referred to sun beds as "killers" and that it incorrectly claimed a ban on sunbeds in gyms would "help save millions of lives every year". | 2011-05-02 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated the publication of the following letter from the complainant: Dear Sir, Further to your report on 17 February ("Appeal to ban health centre ‘killers'") I would like to point out that you wrongly claimed that the North West Cancer Research campaign to ban sunbeds in Cheshire gyms would "help save millions of lives every year". Your article elsewhere stated that 2,070 people died from skin cancer in the UK each year, and there is no suggestion that sun beds are responsible for all these deaths. The implication that "millions" of people die each year from using sun beds is therefore completely inaccurate and I consider the reference to them as "killers" to be misleading. Yours sincerely, Phil Caddick Solar Powered Runcorn. | 7090 | None | None | None |
| Mr James Middleton | Daily Mail | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzA4OQ== | Mr James Middleton complained to the Press Complaints Commission that an article which referred to his connection with the company Forestry for Life contained inaccuracies. | 2011-04-29 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the newspaper removed the article from its website. | 7089 | None | None | None |
| Paul Golding | Kent on Sunday | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzEwNA== | Paul Golding complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had wrongly reported that he was once expelled from the BNP for allegedly attacking a fellow councillor. | 2011-04-28 | 1 | The newspaper considered that it had grounds for reporting the claim but accepted that it had not check the position with the complainant prior to publication. The complaint was resolved when the newspaper promptly removed the online article in question and made two undertakings: the first to ensure that the reference to the alleged attack and expulsion is not repeated and the second to contact the complainant in advance of any future stories relating to him. | 7104 | None | None | None |
| West London Mental Health Trust | Daily Mirror | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzEwMw== | Ms Charlene Stephenson, Communications Manager for West London Mental Health NHS Trust complained to the Press Complaints Commission that an article had contained inaccurate and inappropriate language when it described Broadmoor Hospital as a "jail". | 2011-04-28 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the newspaper amended its online article to refer to Broadmoor as a secure hospital, and published the following correction: Following the article "Fury at mad killer's bid for release" we have been asked to point out that Broadmoor is a secure hospital not a jail". | 7103 | None | None | None |
| Mr Cael Sendell-Price | South Wales Echo | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzEwMg== | Mr Cael Sendell-Price, who was a member of a group which received a Prince's Trust award, complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had claimed the team was made up of "educational underachievers, former offenders and unemployed young people". He stated that he did not fall within any of these categories. | 2011-04-28 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated the removal of the complainant's name from the article. | 7102 | None | None | None |
| Katy Poynter | Bucks Free Press | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzEwMQ== | Katy Poynter complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had published a report of the inquest into her brother's death which contained inaccuracies. The complainant was also concerned that the coverage was insensitive as it emphasised details from life of the deceased which she considered irrelevant and included excessive information regarding how he had died. | 2011-04-28 | 1, 5 | The complaint was resolved when the newspaper provided a private letter for the complainant containing an apology and an assurance about its handling of inquest reports. | 7101 | None | None | None |
| Mrs Wendy Smith | Steyning Herald | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzEwMA== | Mrs Wendy Smith of West Sussex complained to the Press Complaints Commission that a report of an inquest into the death of her daughter, Melissa, was insensitive and had caused great upset to her family. | 2011-04-28 | 5 | While the newspaper did not accept that the article was in breach of the Code, the matter was resolved when the PCC negotiated a private letter to the complainant, apologising for any distress caused. | 7100 | None | None | None |
| Ms Cheryl Cole | Grazia | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzA5OQ== | Ms Cheryl Cole complained (through her representatives Supersonic PR) about a story published in December, 2010. | 2011-04-28 | 1 | The matter was resolved directly between the parties. | 7099 | None | None | None |
| Mrs Wendy Smith | The Argus | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzA5OA== | Mrs Wendy Smith of West Sussex complained to the Press Complaints Commission that a report of an inquest into the death of her daughter, Melissa, was insensitive and had caused great upset to her family. | 2011-04-28 | 5 | While the newspaper did not accept that the article was in breach of the Code, the matter was resolved when the PCC negotiated a private letter to the complainant, apologising for any distress caused. | 7098 | None | None | None |
| Brighton & Hove City Council | The Argus | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzA5Nw== | Brighton & Hove City Council complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had reported the council's response to a story about complaints received from residents regarding the condition of roads in the local area but had distorted its position by omitting key details. The complainant said that the article highlighted how long the council had taken to fix a pothole but failed to report a crucial passage of a written statement from the council, pointing out that the authority received a complaint about the pothole in question ‘yesterday' and attended to it ‘today'. | 2011-04-28 | 1 | The newspaper did not accept that the article was misleading to readers as the main thrust of the piece was that road surfaces in the area were poor and it had carried a spokesperson's comment that the council was carrying out regular repairs and that an emergency repair had been ordered on the specific pothole mentioned in the piece. After some discussion, the complaint was eventually resolved when the PCC negotiated the publication of the following letter: Regarding your report on January 15 about a pothole in Standean Close, Coldean, we would like to point out that we went to inspect it on the day after it was reported and ordered an urgent repair. All councils are struggling with potholes after a hard winter. But we are doing our best, prioritising the worst first. Cllr Geoffrey Theobald Cabinet councillor for environment Brighton & Hove City Council | 7097 | None | None | None |
| Mr Mark Hazel | Birmingham Mail | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzA5Ng== | Mr Mark Hazel of Birmingham complained to the Press Complaints Commission that an article had erroneously listed his son, also named Mark Hazel, as living at Dulwich Road, Kingstanding. The complainant explained that his son did not reside at this address, and expressed concern that readers would be misled as a result. | 2011-04-28 | 1 | While the newspaper did not accept that there had been a breach of the Clause 1 of the Code, the matter was resolved when the PCC negotiated the publication of the following clarification, as well an alteration to the online article: In our article ‘Police vow as burglars are sent to jail' (31 January) we referred to Mark Hazel of Dulwich Road, Kingstanding. We would like to make clear that the Mark Hazel who currently resides at this address is not the man referred to in the report. | 7096 | None | None | None |
| Robert Cooke | The Sun | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzA5NQ== | Robert Cooke complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had published a composite image showing a Libyan rebel standing defiantly beneath three jets flown by Colonel Gaddafi's forces. He suspected that the image had been manipulated and the newspaper had not made this clear. In the complainant's view, this was misleading to readers and akin to propaganda. | 2011-04-28 | 1 | The newspaper explained that the complainant was correct and the image was, in fact, two separate photographs. It thanked him for pointing out that some clarification was required. The complaint was resolved when the newspaper amended the caption accompanying the online image to make clear that the image of the Libyan rebel was a "Vision of freedom" and the jets had been photographed at an earlier time. | 7095 | None | None | None |
| Mrs Debbie Edwards | Cornish Guardian | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzA5NA== | Mrs Debbie Edwards of Newquay complained to the Press Complaints Commission about a statement which the newspaper had appended to an article paying tribute to her brother, Mr Paul Foster, who had recently passed away. The statement referred to legal proceedings which had been brought against Mr Foster, but were subsequently discontinued. The complainant was concerned that the inclusion of this information displayed a lack of sensitivity. | 2011-04-28 | 5 | The newspaper explained that, as it had previously reported the charges against Mr Foster, it deemed it appropriate that it should clarify the status of the proceedings for readers. While it did not accept that the inclusion of this information constituted a breach of Clause 5 of the Code, the matter was resolved when the PCC negotiated the removal of the online article, and a private letter to the complainant, apologising for any upset caused. | 7094 | None | None | None |
| Mr Simon Foster | Cornish Guardian | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzA5Mw== | Mr Simon Foster of Newquay complained to the Press Complaints Commission about a statement which the newspaper had appended to an article paying tribute to his father, Mr Paul Foster, who had recently passed away. The statement referred to legal proceedings which had been brought against Mr Foster, but were subsequently discontinued. The complainant was concerned that the inclusion of this information in an otherwise sympathetic piece displayed a lack of sensitivity, which had caused considerable upset to his family. | 2011-04-28 | 5 | The newspaper explained that, as it had previously reported the charges against Mr Foster, it deemed it appropriate that it should clarify the status of the proceedings for readers. While it did not accept that the inclusion of this information constituted a breach of Clause 5 of the Code, the matter was resolved when the PCC negotiated the removal of the online article, as well as the publication of an obituary and the following statement: In reference to an earlier article in the Cornish Guardian re Paul Foster, the family would like to reiterate that the case against Paul was discontinued before he passed away and that he always strenuously denied the claims. | 7093 | None | None | None |
| The Rt Hon Lord Prescott | The Sun | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzA4OA== | The Rt Hon Lord Prescott complained to the Press Complaints Commission that an article in regard to his expenses in the House of Lords was inaccurate and misleading. | 2011-04-28 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated the publication of the following correction in the newspaper and online, in addition to the removal of the original online article: AN article on March 4 stated Lord Prescott claimed £10,016 in House of Lords expenses between July and September. In fact, he claimed £9,312, which includes £4,940 for office costs paid for the full period, rather than the 13 days he attended the House. As a result, Lord Prescott did not claim nearly £800 a day. We regret the error and are happy to set the record straight. | 7088 | None | None | None |
| Two women | Courier and Advertiser (Dundee) | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzA4NQ== | Two women complained separately to the Press Complaints Commission that an article published in the Courier and Advertiser (Dundee) in January 2011 contained material that had identified their daughters as victims of sexual assault in breach of Clause 3 (Privacy), Clause 7 (Children in sex cases) and Clause 11 (Victims of sexual assault) of the Editors' Code. The complaint was upheld. The article reported a court hearing in which a man had admitted sexual offences against two girls, both of whom were under the age of sixteen at the time the crimes occurred. The report made reference to the locations where the offences had taken place, including the names of the streets - two of which were the streets on which the victims lived. The article also stated the ages of the girls at the time of the offences. The complainants both said their daughters' right to anonymity had been compromised by the inclusion of this information. Complainant A said that she and her daughter lived in a rural area with only twelve houses on their street. It was easy for neighbours and others in the local community to identify her daughter as a result of the article. Complainant A added that the level of detail included about the offences was unnecessary. Complainant B said her daughter was the only female child of the reported age who lived on the other named street. Neighbours, classmates and other acquaintances had, as a consequence, been made aware of her identity and the graphic nature of the offences to which she was subjected. This in turn had led to the girl being extremely distressed. Although it did not initially accept that it had published sufficient information to identify the victims, the newspaper admitted that its practice of only publishing outline details of cases of this nature had not been properly followed. It removed the partial addresses from its electronic archive and excluded similar references in a subsequent report about sentencing. In addition, the editor circulated a message to all staff reminding them of their obligations to protect children under the Editors' Code, and sent a letter of apology and explanation to the complainants. | 2011-04-26 | 3, 7, 11 | None | 7085 | Upheld | The terms of Clause 7 (Children in sex cases) of the Editors' Code are very clear: "the press must not...identify children under 16 who are victims in cases involving sex offences". Clause 11 (Victims of sexual assault) adds that the press "must not publish material likely to contribute to [the] identification" of victims of sexual assault. If in doubt, newspapers should always err on the side of caution when considering what details to publish in relation to such cases. In this instance, the inclusion of the girls' ages and of their partial addresses clearly had the potential to contribute to their identification. Indeed, given the relatively small number of houses on the streets in question, identification was always going to be a strong possibility. This was a bad mistake by the newspaper, which had acknowledged that its practice of publishing only outline details of cases such as these had not been followed. The Code affords particular protection to those who are vulnerable - and it is hard to imagine anyone more vulnerable than a child victim of sexual crimes. The failure of the newspaper properly to consider the likely consequences of publishing the information in the report, especially the references to the girls' partial addresses, was a serious one. While the Commission welcomed the steps taken by the editor to ensure that the Editors' Code was adhered to in the future (and while it noted that he had apologised to the victims via their parents), it did not hesitate to uphold these complaints. | None |
| Mr Richard Davies | The Sun | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzA4Mw== | Mr Richard Davies complained to the Press Complaints Commission that three articles headlined "MP's niece cut man's throat", "Minister's niece on murder trial" and "Meredith ‘copycat monster'", published by The Sun on 15 November 2007, 11 January 2010 and 12 January 2010, were inaccurate and misleading in breach of Clause 1 (Accuracy) of the Editors' Code of Practice. The newspaper had offered a sufficient form of remedial action. The complainant's daughter, Jessica Davies, had been convicted of the murder of Olivier Mugnier at Versailles Criminal Court in January 2010. The 2007 article (which remained available on the newspaper's website) had been published immediately following Mr Mugnier's death. The January 2010 articles reported on the subsequent trial. The complainant initially contacted the Commission in February 2010. He did not complain in November 2007 (when the first article was published) as French law prevents the publication of evidence gathered by the police and investigating magistrate until a trial. Subsequent delay was caused by the complainant's efforts to obtain the official results of Ms Davies' blood sample (which was relevant to his complaints against other newspapers) and additional documentation; in July 2010 the Commission agreed to suspend its investigation until such documentation was received. The complainant provided the toxicology report - along with letters from his daughter's solicitors - in October and November 2010. The Commission then sought an independent translation of these documents, which was sent to the newspaper in January 2011. The complainant said that the coverage was inaccurate and misleading on three issues. First, the 2010 articles stated that the "court heard" that the killing had been committed in a "copycat of the Meredith Kercher murder". The complainant said that French police had rejected speculation that the cases were linked in any way. In addition, he provided a letter from his daughter's solicitors asserting that the Kercher case had not been mentioned during Ms Davies' trial. Second, the complainant objected to the repeated claims in the coverage that Ms Davies had "slashed" Mr Mugnier's throat and, in the 2007 article, had stabbed him "six or seven times". The complainant said that police and court evidence confirmed that Mr Mugnier had suffered one stab wound to the chest ("thorax"), with one other small superficial scratch. He provided a further letter from his daughter's solicitors regarding the location of the wound. Third, the complainant said that - contrary to claims made in the 2007 article - there had been no "brutal sex game" or "extreme" sex session on the evening of Mr Mugnier's death. Rather, despite attempts to do so, the couple did not make love at all. The newspaper said that the link to the Kercher case was attributable to police sources, which were verified by its reporter's notes (which were provided to the Commission). However, it accepted that its story may have led readers to believe that any possible link had been mentioned as part of the court case. It offered to publish a correction on this point. On the other points, the notes showed police sources referring to "passionate, violent sex - talking and then doing" and Ms Davies herself had made reference in court to making love to Mr Mugnier. In addition - whilst the fatal wound appeared to have been sustained to Mr Mugnier's chest - other newspapers and agencies (including France's national news agency AFP) had reported that Mr Mugnier suffered a number of wounds, including to his throat and chest. The newspaper offered to add a statement from the complainant outlining his position to the online versions of the articles. | 2011-04-21 | 1 | None | 7083 | Sufficient remedial action offered | Newspapers have an essential part to play in the reporting of crime and the judicial system that prosecutes those accused of committing it. It is vitally important that any such reports adhere to the key principles governing accuracy under the terms of the Editors' Code: taking care not to publish inaccurate or misleading information; and clearly distinguishing between comment, conjecture and fact. These principles are equally valid whether reporting cases in the UK or abroad, where official procedures may be different (as on this occasion). Indeed, the reporting of cases taking place in a foreign jurisdiction poses particular challenges for editors. The Commission took this opportunity to highlight the importance of care in the use and presentation of material originating from the police and court processes of other countries. The most significant points in regard to the coverage related to the circumstances in which the killing had taken place: the existence or otherwise of a "frenzied" or "violent" sex session; the exact location of the wound suffered by Mr Mugnier; and the suggested link between the case and the death of Meredith Kercher. On the alleged link to the Kercher case, it was clearly incorrect for the newspaper to have referred to this as having been stated in court ("the court heard"), when its position was, in fact, that the information had been provided by police and prosecution sources. The reporter was not present in court itself, and whilst the newspaper was entitled, to a certain degree, to rely on these, the nature of the information - most importantly that it had not been verified - should have been made clear to readers. As such, the newspaper was obliged to correct this point. It had offered to do so in an appropriate manner. This represented a sufficient form of remedial action under the terms of Clause 1 (ii) of the Code. Finally, the Commission wished to acknowledge the discrepancies highlighted by the complainant in other areas of the coverage. These included the question of precisely where the wound which killed Mr Mugnier had been inflicted (the thorax as opposed to the throat); whether there had been single or multiple wounds; and references to a sexual liaison. Bearing in mind the full circumstances of the case, and the facts that were not in dispute involving the death of Mr Mugnier, the Commission did not consider that these points required separate correction or clarification. The terms of this adjudication allowed these points of dispute to be aired publicly. | None |
| Mr Richard Davies | Daily Mirror | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzA4Mg== | Mr Richard Davies complained to the Press Complaints Commission that two articles headlined "I'm a monster" and "Quentin Davies' niece sentenced to 15 years for murder", published in the Daily Mirror on 12 January 2010 and 13 January 2010, were inaccurate and misleading in breach of Clause 1 (Accuracy) of the Editors' Code of Practice. The newspaper had offered a sufficient form of remedial action. The complainant's daughter, Jessica Davies, had been convicted of the murder of Olivier Mugnier at Versailles Criminal Court in January 2010. The complainant initially contacted the Commission in February 2010. Subsequent delay was caused by the complainant's efforts to obtain the official results of Ms Davies' blood sample; in July 2010 the Commission agreed to suspend its investigation until such documentation was received. The complainant provided the toxicology report - along with letters from his daughter's solicitors - in October and November 2010. The Commission then sought an independent translation of these documents, which was sent to the newspaper in January 2011. The complainant said that the report of the trial was inaccurate and misleading on three issues. First, the court had not "heard" that police believed that Ms Davies was "inspired by the murder of Meredith Kercher in Italy, just days earlier". The complainant said that French police had rejected speculation that the cases were linked in any way. In addition, he provided a letter from his daughter's solicitors asserting that the Kercher case had not been mentioned during Ms Davies' trial. Second, Mr Mugnier had not been found with his "throat cut"; Mr Mugnier had suffered only one stab wound to his chest ("thorax"), with another small superficial scratch. The complainant provided a further letter from his daughter's solicitors regarding the location of the wound. Third, Ms Davies had not "smoked cannabis" on the evening in question: court evidence and the toxicology report - provided by the complainant during the course of the investigation - showed that she had only consumed prescription medicines. There was no official transcript of the court proceedings, and the newspaper said that the information reported had been obtained from confidential police and court sources. Whilst it was not willing to disclose the identity of these sources, it offered to publish a correction making clear that the reference to the Kercher case related to information obtained from sources rather than information heard in court. Once it had received the toxicology report, the newspaper also offered to clarify that tests for cannabis made after Ms Davies' arrest were negative. | 2011-04-21 | 1 | None | 7082 | Sufficient remedial action offered | Newspapers have an essential part to play in the reporting of crime and the judicial system that prosecutes those accused of committing it. It is vitally important that any such reports adhere to the key principles governing accuracy under the terms of the Editors' Code: taking care not to publish inaccurate or misleading information; and clearly distinguishing between comment, conjecture and fact. These principles are equally valid whether reporting cases in the UK or abroad, where official procedures may be different (as on this occasion). Indeed, the reporting of cases taking place in a foreign jurisdiction poses particular challenges for editors. The Commission took this opportunity to highlight the importance of care in the use and presentation of material originating from the police and court processes of other countries. The most significant points in regard to the coverage related to the circumstances in which the killing had taken place: whether Ms Davies had smoked cannabis on the night; the exact location of the wound suffered by Mr Mugnier; and the suggested link between the case and the death of Meredith Kercher. On the alleged link to the Kercher case, it was clearly incorrect for the newspaper to have referred to this as having been stated in court ("the court heard"), when its position was, in fact, that the information had been provided by police and prosecution sources. The reporter was not present in court itself, and whilst the newspaper was entitled, to a certain degree, to rely on sources, the nature of the information - most importantly that it had not been verified - should have been made clear to readers. As such, the newspaper was obliged to correct this point. It had offered to do so in an appropriate manner. In the absence of any official transcript of the court proceedings, the Commission had regard to the reporter's notes provided to it as part of its investigation. These showed, for example, that there had certainly been reference to "cannabis" in the case: it had not been denied that Mr Mugnier had smoked cannabis in the flat on the night in question. That said, once the complainant had provided the toxicology report which made clear that Ms Davies had not smoked cannabis, it was right for the newspaper to clarify this to readers. The newspaper's offer represented a sufficient form of remedial action under the terms of Clause 1 (ii) of the Code. The Commission wished to acknowledge the discrepancy highlighted by the complainant relating to the question of precisely where the wound which killed Mr Mugnier had been inflicted (the thorax as opposed to the throat). Bearing in mind the full circumstances of the case, and the facts that were not in dispute involving the death of Mr Mugnier, the Commission did not consider that this point required separate correction or clarification. The terms of this adjudication allowed it to be aired publicly. | None |
| Mr Richard Davies | Evening Standard | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzA4MQ== | Mr Richard Davies complained to the Press Complaints Commission that three articles headlined "Labour MP's niece in sex killing case ‘had tried suicide'", "Boyfriend of MP's niece is arrested on suspicion of Meredith copycat murder in France" and "Minister's niece slashed throat of lover then told police: I am a monster", published in the London Evening Standard on 17 November 2007, 19 November 2007 and 11 January 2010, were inaccurate and misleading in breach of Clause 1 (Accuracy) of the Editors' Code of Practice. The newspaper had offered a sufficient form of remedial action. The complainant's daughter, Jessica Davies, had been convicted of the murder of Olivier Mugnier at Versailles Criminal Court in January 2010. The 2007 articles (which remained available on the newspaper's website) had been published immediately following Mr Mugnier's death. The January 2010 article reported on the subsequent trial. The complainant initially contacted the Commission in February 2010. He did not complain in November 2007 (when the first articles were published) as French law prevents the publication of evidence gathered by the police and investigating magistrate until a trial. Subsequent delay was caused by the complainant's efforts to obtain official documentation relating to his various complaints; in July 2010 the Commission agreed to suspend its investigation until this material was received. The complainant provided this documentation in October and November 2010. The Commission then sought an independent translation of these documents, which was sent to the newspaper in January 2011. The complainant said that the coverage was inaccurate and misleading on numerous issues. First, the coverage made repeated references to the murder of Meredith Kercher which were misleading. The 2010 court report stated that the murder was "said to have been inspired" by the killing in Italy. The complainant said that French police had rejected speculation that the cases were linked in any way. He provided a letter from his daughter's solicitors asserting that the Kercher case had not been mentioned during Ms Davies' trial. Second, the complainant objected to claims in all three articles that Ms Davies had "slashed ... Mr Mugnier's throat", stating that police and court evidence confirmed that Mr Mugnier had suffered only a stab wound to the chest ("thorax") with one other superficial scratch. He provided a further letter from his daughter's solicitors regarding the location of the wound. The newspaper said that the matters under complaint had been widely reported. French legal procedures meant that there was no official court transcript of the court case. It did, however, provide copies of the reporter's contemporaneous notes of conversations with police and prosecution sources, which had made the links to the Kercher case. That said, the newspaper accepted that its article had incorrectly claimed that this information had been heard in court, offering to publish a correction on the matter. The newspaper added that - while the fatal wound appeared to have been sustained to Mr Mugnier's chest - other newspapers and agencies (including France's national news agency AFP) had reported that Mr Mugnier suffered a number of wounds, including to his throat and chest. | 2011-04-21 | 1 | None | 7081 | Sufficient remedial action offered | Newspapers have an essential part to play in the reporting of crime and the judicial system that prosecutes those accused of committing it. It is vitally important that any such reports adhere to the key principles governing accuracy under the terms of the Editors' Code: taking care not to publish inaccurate or misleading information; and clearly distinguishing between comment, conjecture and fact. These principles are equally valid whether reporting cases in the UK or abroad, where official procedures may be different (as on this occasion). Indeed, the reporting of cases taking place in a foreign jurisdiction poses particular challenges for editors. The Commission took this opportunity to highlight the importance of care in the use and presentation of material originating from the police and court processes of other countries. On the alleged link to the Kercher case, it had not been established that this was stated in court, as the article had suggested. The newspaper's position was, in fact, that the information had been provided by police and prosecution sources. The reporter was not present in court itself, and whilst the newspaper was entitled, to a certain degree, to rely on sources, the nature of the information - most importantly that it had not been verified - should have been made clear to readers. As such, the newspaper was obliged to correct this point. It had offered to do so in an appropriate manner. This represented a sufficient form of remedial action under the terms of Clause 1 (ii) of the Code. Finally, the Commission wished to acknowledge the discrepancy highlighted by the complainant relating to the question of precisely where the wound which killed Mr Mugnier had been inflicted (the thorax as opposed to the throat). Bearing in mind the full circumstances of the case, and the facts that were not in dispute involving the death of Mr Mugnier, the Commission did not consider that this point required separate correction or clarification. The terms of this adjudication allowed it to be aired publicly. | None |
| Mr Richard Davies | The Guardian | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzA4MA== | Mr Richard Davies complained to the Press Complaints Commission that two articles headlined "French police hold MP's niece over man's death" and "Niece of British MP admits stabbing lover while high on drugs", published in The Guardian on 16 November 2007 and 11 January 2010, were inaccurate and misleading in breach of Clause 1 (Accuracy) of the Editors' Code of Practice. The newspaper had offered a sufficient form of remedial action. The complainant's daughter, Jessica Davies, had been convicted of the murder of Olivier Mugnier at Versailles Criminal Court in January 2010. The 2007 article (which remained available on the newspaper's website) had been published immediately following Mr Mugnier's death. The January 2010 article reported on the subsequent trial. The complainant initially contacted the Commission in February 2010. He did not complain in 2007 as French law prevents the publication of evidence gathered by the police and investigating magistrate until a trial. Subsequent delay was caused by the complainant's efforts to obtain the official results of Ms Davies' blood sample; in July 2010 the Commission agreed to suspend its investigation until such documentation was received. The complainant provided the toxicology report - along with letters from his daughter's solicitors - in October and November 2010. The Commission then sought an independent translation of these documents, which was sent to the newspaper in January 2011. The complainant said that the articles were inaccurate and misleading on a number of points. First, the 2010 article headline was misleading when it claimed that Ms Davies was "high on drugs". This implied that she had taken illegal drugs on the evening of Mr Mugnier's death, which was not the case: she had taken only prescription anti-depressants. Second, the 2010 article stated that Ms Davies had "smoked cannabis" on the night in question. This was incorrect: only Mr Mugnier had done so. Court evidence and the toxicology report - provided by the complainant during the course of the investigation - showed that she had not taken any illegal drugs. Third, Mr Mugnier had not sustained a wound to his "neck" as reported; rather, police and court evidence confirmed that Mr Mugnier had suffered one stab wound to the chest ("thorax"), with one other small superficial scratch. The 2007 article had also been inaccurate on this point, making reference to Mr Mugnier being "stabbed in the throat with a knife". The complainant provided a letter from his daughter's solicitors regarding the location of the wound. The newspaper said that its 2010 headline had to be read in the context of the article as whole which made clear that Ms Davies had taken anti-depressants. The use of prescription and recreational drugs was not always distinct and Ms Davies had constantly been warned not to mix her prescription with alcohol. It accepted, however, that the reference to "drugs" was ambiguous and offered to amend its online article to refer to "prescription drugs" (with a note on the article recording the change). On the cannabis claim, the newspaper provided its reporter's notes on the matter which recorded a court clerk referring to "cannabis and alcohol in substantial quantities". This, it said, was in specific reference to Ms Davies, although this was not recorded in the notes. Ms Davies herself had stated that Mr Mugnier had "rolled a joint" when they returned to her flat, although there was no further reference as to whether both of them had smoked it. Once the complainant had provided the toxicology report, the newspaper offered to publish a clarification making clear that tests for cannabis had proved negative. The newspaper added that the terms "neck", "throat", "chest" and "thorax" had been used interchangeably in numerous reports of the incident, including that reported by France's national news agency AFP. It said that Ms Davies had made reference to pressing Mr Mugnier's throat as she called the emergency services. Whether the wound was at the base of the neck or a few inches below changed nothing significant about the report of a fatal stabbing. | 2011-04-21 | 1 | None | 7080 | Sufficient remedial action offered | Newspapers have an essential part to play in the reporting of crime and the judicial system that prosecutes those accused of committing it. It is vitally important that any such reports adhere to the key principles governing accuracy under the terms of the Editors' Code: taking care not to publish inaccurate or misleading information; and clearly distinguishing between comment, conjecture and fact. These principles are equally valid whether reporting cases in the UK or abroad, where official procedures may be different (as on this occasion). Indeed, the reporting of cases taking place in a foreign jurisdiction poses particular challenges for editors. The Commission took this opportunity to highlight the importance of care in the use and presentation of material originating from the police and court processes of other countries. The most significant points in regard to the coverage related to: the exact location of the wound suffered by Mr Mugnier; whether Ms Davies could be said to be "high on drugs" at the time of the attack; and whether she had "smoked cannabis" on the evening in question. In the absence of any official transcript of the court proceedings, the Commission had regard to the notes provided by the newspaper. These showed, for example, that there had certainly been reference to "cannabis" in the case: it had not been denied that Mr Mugnier had smoked cannabis in the flat on the night in question. Moreover, the reference to "drugs" in the headline did not necessarily mean "illegal drugs"; indeed, the phrase "high on drugs" had been explained in the article, which made the position in regard to prescription medicines clear to readers. That said, once the complainant had provided the toxicology report which made clear that Ms Davies had not smoked cannabis, it was right for the newspaper to clarify this to readers. It had offered to do so in an appropriate manner. This offer represented a sufficient form of remedial action under the terms of Clause 1 (ii) of the Code. Finally, the Commission wished to acknowledge the discrepancy highlighted by the complainant relating to the question of precisely where the wound which killed Mr Mugnier had been inflicted (the thorax as opposed to the throat). Bearing in mind the full circumstances of the case, and the facts that were not in dispute involving the death of Mr Mugnier, the Commission did not consider that this point required separate correction or clarification. The terms of this adjudication allowed it to be aired publicly. | None |
| Mr Richard Davies | The Daily Telegraph | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzA3OQ== | Mr Richard Davies complained to the Press Complaints Commission that an article headlined "British woman confessed to being a ‘monster', her murder trial hears", published in The Daily Telegraph on 11 January 2010, was inaccurate and misleading in breach of Clause 1 (Accuracy) of the Editors' Code of Practice. The complaint was not upheld. The complainant's daughter, Jessica Davies, had been convicted of the murder of Olivier Mugnier at Versailles Criminal Court in January 2010. The article reported on the trial. The complainant initially contacted the Commission in February 2010. Subsequent delay was caused by the complainant's efforts to obtain official documentation relating to his complaint; in July 2010 the Commission agreed to suspend its investigation until such documentation was received. The complainant provided the material in October and November 2010. The Commission then sought an independent translation of these documents, which was sent to the newspaper in January 2011. The complainant said that the report was inaccurate when it stated that his daughter had "slit" Mr Mugnier's "throat". This was not the case and the indictment did not say this. The newspaper said that its coverage as a whole had identified the location of the wound as both Mr Mugnier's "thorax" and his "throat". While the Prosecution had used the technical term "thorax", it was clear that the actual area described was the throat or neck. In court evidence, Ms Davies had stated that - when on the telephone to the emergency services - she had "one hand on the receiver, the other pressed to his [Mr Mugnier's] throat". The French word "gorge" had been used. The complainant said that the wound was well below the neck, which was a different part of the body to the thorax. He provided a letter from his daughter's solicitors regarding the location of the wound. | 2011-04-21 | 1 | None | 7079 | Not Upheld | Newspapers have an essential part to play in the reporting of crime and the judicial system that prosecutes those accused of committing it. It is vitally important that any such reports adhere to the key principles governing accuracy under the terms of the Editors' Code: taking care not to publish inaccurate or misleading information; and clearly distinguishing between comment, conjecture and fact. These principles are equally valid whether reporting cases in the UK or abroad, where official procedures may be different (as on this occasion). Indeed, the reporting of cases taking place in a foreign jurisdiction poses particular challenges for editors. The Commission took this opportunity to highlight the importance of care in the use and presentation of material originating from the police and court processes of other countries. The Commission wished to acknowledge the discrepancy highlighted by the complainant relating to the question of precisely where the wound which killed Mr Mugnier had been inflicted (the thorax as opposed to the throat). Bearing in mind the full circumstances of the case, and the facts that were not in dispute involving the death of Mr Mugnier, the Commission did not consider that this point required correction or clarification. The terms of this adjudication allowed it to be aired publicly. | None |
| Mr Richard Davies | Daily Mail | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzA3OA== | Mr Richard Davies complained to the Press Complaints Commission that three articles headlined "Boyfriend of MP's niece is arrested on suspicion of Meredith copycat murder in France", "I am a monster" and "MP's sex killer niece is jailed for 15 years", published by the Daily Mail on 19 November 2007, 12 January 2010 and 13 January 2010, were inaccurate and misleading in breach of Clause 1 (Accuracy) of the Editors' Code of Practice. The newspaper had offered a sufficient form of remedial action. The complainant's daughter, Jessica Davies, had been convicted of the murder of Olivier Mugnier at Versailles Criminal Court in January 2010. The 2007 article (which remained available on the newspaper's website) had been published immediately following Mr Mugnier's death. The January 2010 articles reported on the subsequent trial. The complainant initially contacted the Commission in February 2010. He did not complain in November 2007 (when the first article was published) as French law prevents the publication of evidence gathered by the police and investigating magistrate until a trial. Subsequent delay was caused by the complainant's efforts to obtain the official results of Ms Davies' blood sample; in July 2010 the Commission agreed to suspend its investigation until such documentation was received. The complainant provided the toxicology report - along with letters from his daughter's solicitors - in October and November 2010. The Commission then sought an independent translation of these documents, which was sent to the newspaper in January 2011 The complainant said that the articles were inaccurate and misleading on a number of points. First, the coverage made repeated references to the murder of Meredith Kercher which were misleading. The complainant said that French police had rejected speculation that the cases were linked in any way. In addition, he provided a letter from his daughter's solicitors asserting that the Kercher case had not been mentioned during Ms Davies' trial. Second, the complainant said that - contrary to claims in two of the articles - there had been no "violent sex game" or "frenzied sex session" on the evening of Mr Mugnier's death. Rather, despite attempts to do so, the couple did not make love at all. The complainant also objected to the claims in the coverage that Ms Davies had "slashed...Mr Mugnier's throat". He said that police and court evidence confirmed that Mr Mugnier had suffered one stab wound to the chest ("thorax"), with one other small superficial scratch. The complainant provided a letter from his daughter's solicitors regarding the location of the wound. Furthermore, Ms Davies had not smoked cannabis or consumed illegal drugs on the evening in question: court evidence and the toxicology report - provided by the complainant during the course of the investigation - showed that she had taken only prescription medicines. Finally, the complainant said that his daughter had not attended Notre Dame Catholic School and had never studied in America. The newspaper said that the matters under complaint had been widely reported. French legal procedures meant that there was no official court transcript of the court case. It did, however, provide copies of the reporter's contemporaneous notes of conversations with police and prosecution sources: the links to the Kercher case had been attributed clearly to them in the coverage. The notes also showed the same sources referring to "passionate, violent sex - talking and then doing", while Ms Davies herself had made reference in court to making love to Mr Mugnier. The claim of failed love-making had only been introduced at a later stage, and that was noted in the article of 13 January. Furthermore, the newspaper said that it was not in dispute that Ms Davies had been under the influence of alcohol and prescription drugs on the evening in question. Whether or not she had smoked cannabis in addition to this was not a matter of great significance. Mr Mugnier had done so. While the newspaper admitted that there may have been some confusion on the issue, the reporter's notes showed that the word "cannabis" had been mentioned in court in relation to the substances that Ms Davies had consumed that evening. Moreover - whilst the fatal wound appeared to have been sustained to Mr Mugnier's chest - other newspapers and agencies (including France's national news agency AFP) had reported that Mr Mugnier suffered a number of wounds, including to his throat and chest. Nonetheless, the newspaper offered to publish a clarification making clear that tests for cannabis made after Ms Davies' arrest were negative. It also offered to amend its online coverage to reflect that the wound was to the thorax and not the neck. | 2011-04-21 | 1 | None | 7078 | Sufficient remedial action offered | Newspapers have an essential part to play in the reporting of crime and the judicial system that prosecutes those accused of committing it. It is vitally important that any such reports adhere to the key principles governing accuracy under the terms of the Editors' Code: taking care not to publish inaccurate or misleading information; and clearly distinguishing between comment, conjecture and fact. These principles are equally valid whether reporting cases in the UK or abroad, where official procedures may be different (as on this occasion). Indeed, the reporting of cases taking place in a foreign jurisdiction poses particular challenges for editors. The Commission took this opportunity to highlight the importance of care in the use and presentation of material originating from the police and court processes of other countries. The most significant points in regard to the coverage related to the circumstances in which the killing had taken place: the existence or otherwise of a "frenzied" or "violent" sex session; whether Ms Davies had smoked cannabis or consumed illegal drugs on the night; the exact location of the wound suffered by Mr Mugnier; and the suggested link between the case and the death of Meredith Kercher. On the alleged link to the Kercher case, the Commission was satisfied that the claim had not been presented as fact in any of the coverage: the 2007 article stated that the "police feared the couple had set out to recreate the murder of Meredith Kercher", in addition to quoting a police source on which this claim was based. Further references to any link at the time of the trial in 2010 did not suggest that this had formed part of the case in court, and had, again, been clearly presented as speculation based on sources ("Detectives believe the crime may have been inspired by the Meredith Kercher murder"). The newspaper - which was entitled to offer the opinion, clearly distinguished as such, that the cases had "grim similarities" - had provided notes of the reporter's conversations with sources on this subject. In the Commission's view, readers would not have been misled by the presentation of the claims. In the absence of any official transcript of the court proceedings, the Commission had regard to the notes provided by the newspaper. These showed, for example, that there had certainly been reference to "cannabis" in the case: it had not been denied that Mr Mugnier had smoked cannabis in the flat on the night in question. That said, once the complainant had provided the toxicology report which made clear that Ms Davies had not smoked cannabis, it was right for the newspaper to clarify this to readers. It had offered to do in an appropriate manner. This offer represented a sufficient form of remedial action under the terms of Clause 1 (ii) of the Code. Finally, the Commission wished to acknowledge the discrepancies highlighted by the complainant in other areas of the coverage. These included the question of precisely where the wound which killed Mr Mugnier had been inflicted (the thorax as opposed to the throat); whether there had been a "violent" or "frenzied" sex session; and details of Ms Davies' education. Bearing in mind the full circumstances of the case, and the facts that were not in dispute involving the death of Mr Mugnier, the Commission did not consider that these points required separate correction or clarification. The terms of this adjudication allowed these points of dispute to be aired publicly. | None |
| Jessie Wright | Bristol Evening Post | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzA3Nw== | Jessie Wright complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had published an inquest report on the death of her sister-in-law which contained a number of inaccuracies. | 2011-04-21 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated the publication of the following correction and apology on the newspaper's dedicated "Getting it Right" column: In a report of the inquest into the death of Sharon Wright we incorrectly stated that her neighbours contacted the police. In fact it was her sister-in-law, Jessie Wright, who got in touch with them because she concerned about Ms Wright. We also referred to Ms Wright incorrectly in one paragraph of the story as Ms Morris. We would like to apologise to her family for both of these errors and the distress we have caused. The family have also said that they believe Ms Wright had lain undiscovered for three days and not seven. | 7077 | None | None | None |
| Dr Paul Baker | The Independent | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzA3Ng== | Dr Paul Baker complained that the newspaper had published a comment piece containing the inaccurate claim that there has never been an incidence of HIV infection in the UK porn industry. The complainant pointed out that according to the BBC's Newsnight television programme, four men in the UK have been diagnosed with HIV after having unprotected sex as part of a gay porn shoot. | 2011-04-21 | 1 | The newspaper explained the reasoning behind the comment and, while it did not accept that the piece contained a factual error, the complaint was resolved when the newspaper appended the following clarifying statement to the online article: There has never been an incidence of HIV infection in the UK heterosexual porn industry, although there have been cases reported in the UK gay porn industry as well as in the US. | 7076 | None | None | None |
| Allan Reid | Clydebank Post | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzA3NQ== | Allan Reid complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the newspaper had published his private medical details in relation to an allegation (which had subsequently been dismissed) of professional misconduct. | 2011-04-20 | 1, 3, 12 | The complained was resolved when the PCC negotiated the removal of the article from the newspaper’s website. | 7075 | None | None | None |
| Ms CC Lee | Daily Mail | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzA3NA== | Ms C.C. Lee of Kent complained to the Press Complaints Commission that an article reporting on a shooting at Smithfield Horse Fair in Dublin was misleading. The complainant was particularly concerned that the headline ‘Hundreds of terrified travellers run for cover after armed rivals take feud to horse fair’ erroneously suggested that the fair was attended exclusively by travellers. | 2011-04-20 | 1 | The matter was resolved when the PCC negotiated the removal of the reference to travellers from the headline of the online article. | 7074 | None | None | None |
| Richard Walker | Daily Mail | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzA3Mw== | Mr Richard Walker complained to the Press Complaints Commission that an article was misleading when it suggested that the pension of a refuse collector was £10,000 per annum. | 2011-04-20 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated the amendment of the online article to remove the reference to refuse collectors. | 7073 | None | None | None |
| Edward Cameron | Cambridge News | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzA3Mg== | Mr Edward Cameron complained to the Press Complaints Commission that an article reporting on reductions in bus services contained inaccuracies. | 2011-04-20 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated the publication of the following clarification in the newspaper: Some bus services will be reduced, not axed More details have emerged about changes to Stagecoach bus services due to take place from April 17. Following a story in the News on February 23, we would like to clarify that while the No 15 service from St Ives to Cambridge will be cancelled as reported, the 91, 95 and 96 buses on that route will continue to run as before. Furthermore, the March to Peterborough No 33 bus will not be cancelled but will instead operate at a reduced level during off-peak times. The 66 and 65 services will operate hourly from Huntingdon to St Neots - and not involve St Ives as was stated. Finally, it should be added that a number of services under the heading ‘service reductions' in our February 23 article will run at the same level but with an amended timetable. These include the new X8 service, which has directly replaced the X7, the Cambridge to Bury St Edmunds No 11 service and the Cambridge to Ely No 12 bus. For more information on these routes, visit www.stagecoachbus.com/serviceupdatedetails.aspx?Id_2358. | 7072 | None | None | None |
| FullFact | Daily Mail | http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=NzA3MQ== | Full Fact complained to the Press Complaints Commission that an online article reporting on life expectancy on the Gurnos estate in Merthyr Tydfil was inaccurate and misleading. | 2011-04-20 | 1 | The complaint was resolved when the PCC negotiated the amendment of the online article and the publication of the following note at the end of the online article: An earlier version of this article referred to the figure for life expectancy in Merthyr Tydfil as being 58.8 years. In fact, this is the figure for ‘healthy life expectancy' in Merthyr Tydfil, and the average life expectancy is not lower than that in Iraq or Haiti as originally reported. | 7071 | None | None | None |
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