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.

Below are summaries of the latest complaints involving the regional press which fall into the first category.

Grantham Journal
Mr and Mrs Storrie of Nottinghamshire complained that an article containing an interview with the man convicted of murdering their daughter contained inaccuracies. Specifically, they said the following points were inaccurate: their daughter’s cause of death; and the claim that the jury heard of the offender’s past attacks on girls. The complainants considered it to be offensive and insulting that the newspaper should have interviewed their daughter’s murderer in such a way that would trigger a sympathetic public response. (Clauses 1, 5)
Resolution: The newspaper accepted that the jury heard of just one attack carried out by the offender. It also accepted that the complainants' daughter was suffocated rather than strangled – despite reports to the contrary in the public domain – and undertook to report the matter accurately in the future.

Herald & Post
Mr and Mrs F Paterson of West Lothian complained that an article which reported on a police crackdown on 'boy racers' misleadingly used his son's fatal accident – albeit without naming him – as an example of the sort of behaviour that the crackdown was intending to prevent. The complainant explained that his son – a popular 24 year old involved in the brass band community – had a full no claims discount on his insurance and drove a four door non-modified diesel car. The police investigation into the accident found that he was not driving dangerously, or inconsiderately, and it was never proved that speed was an issue. (Clause 1)
Resolution: The complaint was resolved when the newspaper published the following wording to the complainant's family: BOY RACERS. In a report of July 29/August 3 about a police crackdown on boy racers, we cited the case of a 24 year old man who was killed on the A705 in February as an example of the kind of driving they were seeking to prevent. However, we now understand that it was never proved that speed was an issue in the death and that the car was not modified. We apologise to the family of the deceased, Craig Paterson of Whitburn, for the upset the comparison with boy racers caused.

Edinburgh Evening News
Mr and Mrs F Paterson of West Lothian complained that an article which reported on a police crackdown on 'boy racers' misleadingly used his son's fatal accident – albeit without naming him – as an example of the sort of behaviour that the crackdown was intending to prevent. The complainant explained that his son – a popular 24 year old involved in the brass band community – had a full no claims discount on his insurance and drove a four door non-modified diesel car. The police investigation into the accident found that he was not driving dangerously, or inconsiderately, and it was never proved that speed was an issue. (Clause 1)
Resolution: The complaint was resolved when the newspaper published the following wording to the complainant's family: BOY RACERS. In a report of July 29/August 3 about a police crackdown on boy racers, we cited the case of a 24 year old man who was killed on the A705 in February as an example of the kind of driving they were seeking to prevent. However, we now understand that it was never proved that speed was an issue in the death and that the car was not modified. We apologise to the family of the deceased, Craig Paterson of Whitburn, for the upset the comparison with boy racers caused.

Daily Post
Brenda Hart of Conwy complained that a report of a court case in which she was involved inaccurately stated that she had complained about her neighbour to the RSPCA.
Resolution: The newspaper accepted that the complainant may have denied reporting her neighbour to the RSPCA when its reporter was briefly away from the court room. The complaint was resolved when the managing editor wrote to the complainant and apologised for the distress caused to her by the publication of the article.

Edinburgh Evening News
Alan Sproat of Edinburgh complained that an article inaccurately reported that, during a road rage incident, he had deliberately let go of his car door on another man breaking his leg.
Resolution: The complaint was resolved when the newspaper amended its records to reflect that the complainant had been convicted of reckless conduct in letting the door go and that it resulted in another man breaking his ankle.