The Helston Packet has paid out undisclosed libel damages to a navy officer it implied was guilty of serious sexual assault and indecent exposure.

The paper’s owners, Newsquest, accepted that its coverage of the trial of Petty Officer Richard Bean was misleading.

The officer, based at RNAS Culdrose, sued over an item in the Packet in September last year concerning his trial at Truro Crown Court that month.

It failed to give the readers a proper overview of the case, or of all of the evidence which was before the court.

He was acquitted of all the charges which had been brought against him and there was no question of him having been guilty of these offences, according to his lawyer, Isabel Hudson.

She told the High Court: “In addition, the defendant accepts that contrary to the impression given in its article, it is not and has never been, commonplace for male officers at RNAS Culdrose to expose themselves.”

Media Lawyer reports that the newspaper had agreed to pay libel damages and his legal costs. Newsquest’s representative, Priya Lakhani, said that the company apologised for any distress and embarrassment suffered.

In an “unreserved apology”, the Packet said in June: “We now accept that our article was misleading in that it failed to give our readers a proper overview of the case or all of the evidence which was before the court.

“In fact, Petty Officer Bean was acquitted of all the charges which had been brought against him. We wish to make clear that, contrary to the impression given by our article, there is no question of his having been guilty of these offences.

“We also accept that, contrary to the impression given by our article, it is not and never has been commonplace for male officers at RNAS Culdrose to expose themselves.”