Press complaints watchdogs have thrown out a complaint by a convicted murderer against a regional daily which he claims was “harrassing” him.

Albert Dryden was convicted of shooting dead a planning officer in June 1991 in Butsfield, County Durham, amid a dispute over a bungalow he had built without permission.

Dryden wrote to the Press Complaints Commission claiming that The Northern Echo was guilty of harassment under Clause Four of the Editor’s Code because it continued to publish photos of him holding a gun.

Dryden said the Newsquest daily was “obsessed with him and had nothing better to write about.”

The killer’s photo featured most recently in the Echo in July when it reported that Tony Belmont, the BBC Look North reporter who filmed the shooting, was launching a new career as a singer.

Tony’ footage of the shooting is well-known and is now used by the BBC in safety training courses and universities about the consequences and responsibilities of filming for stories.

After its deliberations, the PCC concluded that The Northern Echo had not breached the Editors’ Code of Conduct in its use of Dryden’s photo.

Writing on his blog, Echo editor Peter Barron said: “I’m afraid Mr Dryden is going to have to learn to live with the consequences of his actions.”