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 Reporter and Broadcaster (Saffron Walden)
Mavis and John Boreham of Saffron Walden complained that an article and two readers' letters on the subject of their son's conviction inaccurately suggested that he had a previous conviction for sending two girls obscene text messages when in fact it was only one girl. They also emphasised that the parents of the children to whom he had given piano lessons were aware that he had a previous conviction. (Clause 1)
Resolution: The newspaper argued that the letters represented fair comment. The editor agreed however to amend the newspaper's archives to reflect the precise circumstances of the complainants' son's past conviction. The complaint was resolved on that basis.

South Wales Echo
A woman complained that an article reporting on the jail sentence of the man found guilty of raping her inaccurately stated that the assault had begun as consensual sex. (Clause 1)
Resolution: The newspaper accepted that there was no suggestion that the assault had begun as consensual sex and apologised to the complainant. The complaint was resolved when the newspaper published the following apology: Correction - On August 2 and 24, 2007, the South Wales Echo published details from a court case at Cardiff Crown Court where Spencer Collings was jailed for three years for raping a young woman. We have been asked to point out that at no stage during the incident did the victim consent, as was suggested in the articles. We apologise for any distress caused by our report .

Hexham Courant
Matt Galley, secretary of the Tynedale Branch of Unison, complained that an article had presented comments he had made – on the retention payments being offered to only senior staff at Tynedale Council – in confidential correspondence in such a way as to misleadingly suggest he had been interviewed by the newspaper. (Clause 1)
Resolution: The newspaper agreed that the article may have given the impression that it had interviewed the complainant directly. The editor therefore published the following apology on the front page of the newspaper. The complaint was resolved on that basis. Unison letter - Our front page report of August 31 about the offer of retention payments to senior staff at Tynedale Council contained comments from Matt Galley, secretary of the Tynedale branch of Unison. Mr Galley's comments came from a confidential letter from Unison to the corporate policy and management board of Tynedale Council. Mr Galley did not provide the letter to the Hexham Courant nor did the Courant speak directly to Mr Galley on this matter and we apologise that this may have been the impression given by our report.

Falmouth Packet
Cornwall County Council's Children's Services Department complained that an article about a local couple's fight to stop their grandchildren being adopted presented their account of what had taken place as fact. The council contended that the article contained inaccuracies but accepted that it was not in a position to give specific details on the case. (Clause 1)
Resolution: The newspaper made clear that it had given the council the opportunity to comment on the claims before publication and its full comments were then included in the article. The newspaper agreed however to clarify the position and published the clarification below. The complaint was resolved on that basis. "On April 18 this year, the Packet published a front page story under the heading "Child Theft!" which reported a protest by Mr Paul Garvey, of Boslowick Road, Falmouth, whose grandchildren were taken into care by Cornwall County Council. The Packet printed information supplied by Mr Garvey about his daughter's ill-health, a claim that her children were taken away by social services "out of the blue" and a further claim that the children were "going to be put up for adoption". The council – which declined to comment on the case at the time as it was involved in proceedings under the Children Act 1989 – has asked the Packet to make clear that the information published by the Packet represented Mr Garvey's claims rather than established fact. The council disputes the accuracy of the information supplied by Mr Garvey but says that in the interests of the individuals involved it cannot and will not disclose further details."