The Press Complaints Commission has criticised the Sunday Mail for inaccurate reporting in breach of the terms of Clause 1 (Accuracy) of the Code. The article related to an alleged vendetta conducted by the complainant towards a family, and inaccurately reported the court order that had been granted against him. To read the full adjudication click here.

The PCC has also adjudicated upon complaints, under Clause 3 (Privacy) of the Code, from the Eastenders' actors Nigel Harman and Michelle Ryan about articles published in Star magazine. Both articles were part of a regular 'Neighbourhood Celebwatch' feature, in which photographs of shops and amenities in a celebrity's neighbourhood - where they allegedly spend time - are published. The complainants contended that the articles concerning them may have compromised their security by enabling readers to trace their whereabouts.

While the Commission emphasised the need for vigilance in this area of reporting - and welcomed the editor's undertaking to take greater care with the compilation of the feature in future - it rejected the complaints. This was principally for three reasons. It did not consider that the articles had actually provided sufficient information to identify the complainants' homes and therefore compromise their security. It observed that the complainants themselves had not been photographed in an intrusive way or been harassed by journalists; and it noted that no examples of actual security problems attendant on the articles had been provided.

To read the full adjudications click here and here respectively.

For further information please contact Stephen Abell on 020 7353 1248

2/12/04