A newspaper has removed a photograph of a woman who appeared in court from its website after she complained it had been taken without her consent.
Claire Hayes contacted the Press Complaints Commission saying she had been approached at home by Bournemouth’s Daily Echo following her appearance at Bournemouth Magistrates Court.
She complained that despite having told a journalist she did not want to comment on the hearing, a photo of her was taken and then published without her consent.
The paper explained the picture had been taken when Ms Hayes was visible to a photographer in a parked car on a public road.
It added it did not accept the methods used in obtaining the image or its publication had breached the Editors’ Code of Practice.
However the paper said it was happy to address the concerns of Ms Hayes and the complaint was resolved when it arranged for the photo to be removed from its website.
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Why?
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What? I don’t get this at all.
Was she a defendant, a witness, what? The trade in taking snatch shots of people appearing at court is well established – whether they “give their permission” or not.
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“a photo of her was taken and then published without her consent”
Since when did photographers require permission to get a snatch shot and when did subjects get a veto on whether pics are published ?
Astonishing.
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In case anyone is wondering what Claire Hayes looks like, captured in a classic doorstep snatch, Google’s web cache is your friend.
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Get the photo back up, she was a defendant. Blob par the very fact she complained too.
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From the Echo website:
A CLEANER at the Royal Mail who stole money and gift vouchers from around 1,600 items of post to feed her gambling addiction left children waiting for birthday cards and presents that never came, Bournemouth Magistrates Court heard yesterday.
Former agency cleaner Claire Hayes, of Symes Road, Hamworthy, pleaded guilty to four counts of theft at Ferndown and Wimborne delivery offices, admitting that she would rip up around 20 greeting cards a day, pocketing the contents and stowing the envelopes in rubbish bags to be thrown away.
The Echo shouldn’t have caved in. I’d love to hear their explanation.
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The court copy is below and, as Snapper indicates, the web cache contains the photo. It certainly looks like a doorstep snatch shot to me. If this IS the case, then the newspaper has breached Clause 3 (iii) of the Code and I would guess that – following the offender’s complaint – they have pulled the photo because they were not confident that the breach would be sustained by any of the Public Interest defences listed in the Code. Moral of the tale? Get the perp-walk shots at court!
A ROYAL Mail cleaner who stole money and gift vouchers from items of post has narrowly escaped an immediate jail sentence.
Gambling addict Claire Hayes received a 24-week suspended prison sentence and a 12-month community order when she appeared before Bournemouth magistrates for sentencing yesterday.
Hayes, 37, of Symes Road, Hamworthy, was also given a 12-month community order, which includes 180 hours of unpaid work, a curfew and a training requirement.
She was also ordered to pay £100 towards costs and to pay £420 outstanding in compensation.
Hayes was working for a cleaning agency in delivery offices in Ferndown and Wimborne when she ripped open around 1,600 items of post, many containing birthday presents for children or gift vouchers for elderly people.
When challenged, she admitted opening up to 20 greetings cards a day during cleaning shifts, pocketing the contents and putting the envelopes in rubbish bags to be thrown away Hayes admitted four charges of theft, committed between June and August last year, at an earlier hearing. Magistrates heard she was given a caution in 2009 for theft from her employer.
In her defence, Richard Middleton said Hayes is doing her best to pay back the money stolen and that she now attends Gamblers Anonymous.
He added: “She has lost a huge amount as a result of this gambling addiction. With the assistance and support of her family and experts she hopes she will not trouble this court again.”
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“I would guess that – following the offender’s complaint – they have pulled the photo because they were not confident that the breach would be sustained by any of the Public Interest defences listed in the Code. Moral of the tale? Get the perp-walk shots at court!”
Have to agree with your last point. I would have let the pic stand as it’s clearly in the public interest. Would you employ a light fingered cleaner ?
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I take it it was the photographer in the parked car on the public road. Not absolutely clear from Helen’s fourth par. However, if that were the case then Kevin Duffy’s comments apply.
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Sounds like the silly woman deserved everything she got.
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