A convict who demanded financial compensation from a weekly newspaper after it published an inaccuracy due to an erroneous court register has lost his bid for a payout.

The Independent Press Standards Organisation has ruled the Hereford Times acted sufficiently in remedying a complaint by Lee Walter-Frayling, despite his claim that only compensation could resolve the matter.

The Times reported Walter-Frayling had pleaded guilty to harassment after “subjecting [two men] to insults and abuse via email, on social media, and in person, having unwanted contact with them, and taking unwanted photographs and videos”.

But, complaining under Clause 1 (Accuracy) of the Editors’ Code of Practice, the defendant said the court found there was no evidence to suggest he had posted insults and abuse on social media.

The Times said the court register had stated Walter-Frayling was found guilty of harassment by posting insults and abuse on social media, but this information was later found to be inaccurate.

As a result, it offered to amend the online report by removing references to the man sending abuse “on social media” and “taking unwanted photographs and videos”, ad well as publishing a correction.

Walter-Frayling did not accept the proposed wording as a resolution to his complaint as he did not consider this to be sufficient without financial compensation from the Times, and claimed his complaint could not be resolved.

The Times requested that IPSO consider whether the remedial measures it had offered amounted to a satisfactory resolution of the complaint such that, subject to fulfilment of the offer, the complaint could be closed.

IPSO concluded that the measures offered by the paper were a satisfactory resolution of the complaint and, once the correction is published, the complaint could be closed.

The full resolution statement can be read here.