The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald came under fire for publishing a photo which identified a road accident victim.

But the Newsquest title did enough to put things right when a complaint was made, according to the Press Complaints Commission.

Paul Kirkland, from Wantage, complained to the Commission after the picture of his mother-in-law appeared on the Gazette and Herald website shortly after the crash in February.

Under the headline ‘Road Closed after Accident’, the online story featured the photo of the victim being treated by emergency services which the complainant considered extremely graphic.

Mr Kirkland also said the article had been published when not all members of the family had been informed of the accident and extent of the victim’s injuries.

The judgement says the article had also incorrectly stated that police officers had feared for her life, thus making the story intrusive and insensitive. This is disputed by the Gazette, whose reporter has a shorthand note of a police quote confirming officers’ fears at the scene.

The photograph which appeared in the next day’s paper obscured the victim’s face but the complainant still felt it was still intrusive.

The articles and photos were deemed to be in breach of Clause 3 (privacy) and Clause 5 (intrusion into grief/shock). The complainant also raised concerns under Clause 1 (accuracy) and Clause 2 (opportunity to reply).

The newspaper said that the accident had occurred in the daytime on a public road and had caused long tailbacks but claimed it removed the images from its website as soon as a complaint from the family was received via Wiltshire Police.

The paper also carried a critical letter from the complainant in its next edition – which included an editorial footnote of apology – and sent a private letter of apology to the family.

Editor Gary Lawrence said on his newspaper’s website: “The pictures should not have been posted and we took them down pretty quickly after it was drawn to my attention.

“It is a really difficult area though and I will think a lot more carefully about how we report a similar accident in future.

“I can understand they were hurt by the pictures but this was an accident that caused major delays around the town at rush hour – and I mean major delays – because hundreds of cars were held up in the jam.

“Those people had a right to know what had caused the delay and, after all, this was an accident on a public highway.”

PCC Decision: sufficient remedial action offered.