A reporter’s shorthand notes proved decisive after a family who did not attend an inquest complained about a regional news website’s coverage of the hearing.

The Independent Press Standards Organisation has absolved Essex Live of any wrongdoing after a complaint by the brother of Amira Temani-Lewis prompted a full investigation into a story about an inquest into her death.

Dominic Lewis claimed there were a number of inaccuracies in Essex Live’s coverage of his 12-year-old sister’s death, although he had not been present in court himself for the hearing.

The Reach plc-owned site was able to provide IPSO with its reporter’s full contemporaneous shorthand notes and a transcript, which proved the disputed points of fact had indeed been heard at the inquest.

Complaining under Clause 1 (Accuracy), Clause 2 (Privacy), Clause 4 (Intrusion into grief or shock) and Clause 6 (Children) of the Editors’ Code of Practice, Mr Lewis denied his sister had been a “young carer”, that she had died on hospital or that she had ADHD.

He also believed permission should have been sought from the family to name Miss Temani-Lewis prior to publication.

Denying any breach of Code, Essex Live maintained the story was an accurate report of information given at the inquest.

IPSO found Essex Live’s role was to give an accurate account of the evidence given during the course of the inquest, and that it was not responsible for the accuracy of the evidence itself.

The site had provided contemporaneous shorthand notes taken during the inquest and a transcript of the notes, which showed that the disputed points of fact had indeed been heard at the inquest.

IPSO further found Essex Live was entitled to report on the information heard at the inquest because it had been placed in the public domain, and it did not need to seek permission from the complainant or his family to publish it.

The complaint was not upheld, and the full adjudication can be read here.