A regional daily has vowed to continue “putting its readers first” in the way it covers a spree killing after marking the tragedy’s first anniversary.

Plymouth daily The Herald and its Plymouth Live sister website have marked the first anniversary of the Keyham shooting by focusing on remembering the victims of gunman Jake Davison.

Davison killed his mother Maxine before going on to fatally shoot father and daughter Lee and Sophie Martyn, Stephen Washington and Kate Shepherd before turning the weapon on himself.

On Friday, The Herald’s front page marked a year on from the murders by depicting the names of the five victims on balloons.

At the time of the tragedy, the Herald vowed not to doorknock neighbours in the Keyham area where it took place, instead inviting those affected to get in contact at a time of their choosing, and has also withheld some details from its subsequent coverage.

Content editor Katie Timms told HTFP: “A year ago, our city was thrown in the spotlight in the worst way. The people of Plymouth rallied together to support Keyham and everyone affected by the devastating tragedy and we grieved together.

“From the very beginning, this was not a news story for our journalists. It is the city we love and live in and while other news organisations will come and go, we will always be here to represent our city.

“We always endeavour to cover these incidents accurately, fairly, with clarity and honesty.

“We made decisions that put our readers first, and continue to do so to this day, as we knew some details and imagery would be too much for many to bear.

“We recognised that other news organisations would choose a different path, but we are at the heart of the local community and have a duty to our readers

“Our thoughts remain solely with the victims and their loved ones on this difficult day.”