Below are summaries of the latest complaints involving the regional press which have been resolved between the parties involved, with help from the Press Complaints Commission.

The Gazette
Christine Stewart, of Peterborough, complained that the suggestion in an article that a goat had been killed in a ‘pagan-style’ ritual was inaccurate and discriminatory. She emphasised that pagans found animal sacrifices abhorrent. (Clauses 1, 12)
Resolution: The complaint was resolved when the newspaper published a letter from the complainant making clear that the killing of an animal was abhorrent to Pagans, and describing paganism and the beliefs held by Pagans in greater detail.

Bath Chronicle
Elizabeth Li complained that the newspaper had intruded into her family’s grief by naming her nephew, Paul Kelly, as a murder victim before some members of his family had been informed of his death. (Clause 5)
Resolution: The complaint was resolved when the newspaper – which explained the circumstances behind the identification of Mr Kelly and made clear that it had been informed by police that he did not have any relations living in the area – published the following apology in its coverage of an appeal by Mr Kelly’s parents for witnesses to come forward, in addition to a poem written by the complainant: In The Bath Chronicle of 2 January, we named Paul Kelly as the victim of the city's New Year's Day murder. At that stage, his name had not been officially released by the police but we understood that there were no local relatives likely to read the news in our paper. We now acknowledge that we were wrong and would like to apologise for any distress our story caused.

Bristol Evening Post
Dr Martin Morse, medical director of North Bristol NHS Trust, complained that an article had given the inaccurate impression – which was reinforced by an editorial comment piece – that Mr James Johnson, chairman of the BMA, had commented specifically on the situation at Frenchay Hospital. In fact, Mr Johnson’s comments had related to potential closures to Accident and Emergency departments nationally. (Clause 1)
Resolution: The complaint was resolved when the newspaper published the following clarification: Frenchay Hospital. In a front page article on October 2, entitled Unit closure ‘could kill off hospital’, and a linked comment column, we said the head of the British Medical Association, Mr James Johnson, had warned that Frenchay Hospital could close if a plan to scrap its minor injuries unit went ahead.
To try and make his remarks relevant to readers, we suggested that his comments applied specifically to Frenchay Hospital, which we accept may have been misleading to readers.
We have been asked by North Bristol NHS Trust to make it clear that in warning of the potential impact of plans to close departments across England, Mr Johnson had not referred specifically to Frenchay Hospital. We are happy to set the record straight.