Resolved complaints dealt with by the Press Complaints Commission during January, February and March 2001

The majority of complaints made to the Press Complaints Commission, which raise a possible breach of the Code of Practice, are resolved directly between the Commission's staff, editors and complainants.

These are either settled to the express satisfaction of the complainant following some remedial action by the editor or are not pursued by complainants following an explanation or other response from the publication.

Listed below are summaries of those complaints, concerning regional newspapers, which fall into the former category.

Bedfordshire on Sunday
Woburn Safari Park complained through solicitors that articles reporting a cull of monkeys carrying the Simian Herpes B Virus had contained inaccuracies.
Resolution: The newspapers published a letter of clarification from the complainant.

Luton/Dunstable on Sunday
Woburn Safari Park complained through solicitors that articles reporting a cull of monkeys carrying the Simian Herpes B Virus had contained inaccuracies.
Resolution: The newspapers published a letter of clarification from the complainant.

Bucks Free Press
John Mullarkey of Gerrard's Cross complained that an article was misleading because it reported a number of allegations made against him in court but confused the courts in which those various allegations had been made.
Resolution: The newspaper published a clarification stating that the report had confused two different court hearings.

Coventry Evening Telegraph
Mr P Treble and Mrs K Hackett, both of Coventry, complained that their children's names had been published alongside a photograph after the newspaper's reporter had been specifically told that names were not to be published. They claimed that the publication of the names put their children's safety at risk.
Resolution: The editor wrote letters to Mr Treble and Mrs Hackett offering his apologies for any distress caused by the publication of their children's names, and accepting that his newspaper had acted inappropriately.

Dorset Echo
Mrs E Tolman of Weymouth complained that an article had inaccurately referred to her son - who was not named in the article - as a 'reveller'.
Resolution: The editor published a correction.

Express & Echo
Mr Andrew Holmes of Exeter complained that an article reporting an inquest into his son's death had been inaccurate.
Resolution: The newspaper apologised and published a correction.

Hailsham Gazette
Mr Andy Hartell of Hailsham complained that an article reporting an attack against his daughter had been inaccurate.
The newspaper apologised privately for the inaccuracies.

Hull Daily Mail
Miss Dawn Welham of Hull complained that two articles about the death of her nephew and the inquest into the tragedy had contained inaccuracies and were misleading.
Resolution: The newspaper published a further article containing a number of clarifications and a statement from Miss Welham.

Hull Daily Mail
Mr David Walker of Hull complained that an article inaccurately reported the burglary rate for East Yorkshire's urban areas.
Resolution: The newspaper published a correction.

Liverpool Daily Post
A woman complained on behalf of her mother that an article had identified her by name, partial address and photograph as a victim of a recent hijacking.
Resolution: The newspaper apologised and promised not to reveal the complainant's mother's details without her permission again.

Liverpool Daily Post
Mr D Ellis, secretary of Caernarfon Town Football Supporters' Club, complained about inaccuracies in an article reporting details of the Club's alcohol licence.
Resolution: The newspaper published a clarification.

Reading Post
Mr John O'Loughlin of Reading complained that an article regarding abandoned vehicles inaccurately stated that he was a housing officer for the area involved and was aware of the problems.
Resolution: The newspaper published a correction and an apology.

Rochdale
Mrs J Garvin of Rochdale complained that a photograph of the scene where her grandson had been attacked intruded into her family's shock.
Resolution: The editor explained that the clarity of the photograph had not been so clear from the low-resolution images from which he had initially worked, and wrote a letter of apology to the complainant and her family.

Rotherham Advertiser
Mrs Bette Martin of Headington, Oxford, complained that a report about the death of her son had inaccurately reported the level of his indebtedness.
Resolution: The editor wrote the complainant a personal letter of apology, accepting that a mistake had been made.

Sunderland Echo
A man from Sunderland complained that an article had named him in relation to a criminal charge which had been levelled at his son-in-law.
Resolution: The newspaper gave an assurance that the man would not be named again in relation to the charge unless subsequent developments in the case made doing so of overriding public interest.

The Citizen
Ms Suzanne Williams of Gloucester complained that an article contained a number of inaccuracies, including the claim that she and her husband were divorced.
Resolution: The newspaper published a clarification to the effect that the complainant and her husband were not divorced.

The Journal (Newcastle)
Mrs Debra Robertson of Liverpool complained that an interview with her ex-husband had contained inaccuracies relating to their daughter's health.
Resolution: The newspaper published an apology, which clarified that the complainant's daughter was fit and well.

Yorkshire Post
Mr Derek Bradley of Morley Town Council complained that an article had contained an inaccuracy and that the correction subsequently published by the newspaper had itself been inaccurate.
Resolution: The newspaper gave an assurance that its editorial archive would be appropriately amended and that the matter would be clarified if the subject of the original piece was ever revisited.

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