A regional daily’s website took down a report on a historic murder case after the sister of one of the victims complained.

The article in Huddersfield’s ExaminerLive reported on an historic case where a man was found guilty of killing both his fiancee and her daughter, including details of how their bodies were found and the weapon used for their murder.

But the sister of one of the victims complained to the Independent Press Standards Organisation that the piece was both inaccurate and an intrusion into grief, in breach of Clauses 1 and 4 of the Editor’s Code.

Although the website did not accept any breach, it eventually took the story down to settle the complaint.

The complainant said the article was inaccurate because it included a specific detail about how the bodies were found, which had not been heard during court proceedings and which she claimed sensationalised their deaths.

She said it had intruded into her grief and shock by publishing “graphic and lurid details” about the women’s deaths.

The Exmainer said that while it regretted any distress caused by its coverage, the report was based upon evidence presented in court at the time.

While the complainant found the details about the deaths overly graphic, this information had heard in court, reported on by other publications at the time and had been in the public domain for many years.

IPSO began an investigation into the matter, after which the Examiner offered to remove the disputed reference to how the women’s bodies were found. However, the complainant did not consider this sufficient.

The publication then offered to remove the online article in its entirety and promised that, should it publish another article on the subject, it would provide the family with advance notice.

As the complainant said that this would resolve the matter, the Complaints Committee did not make a determination as to whether there had been any breach of the Code.

The full resolution statement can be read here.