The Press Complaints Commission has upheld a complaint against The Scottish Sun after “intrusive” photographs were published from the funeral of Sir Chris Hoy’s uncle.
The article, headlined “Tears for Hoy uncle at funeral in Edinburgh”, was judged to have been in breach of Clause 5 (intrusion into grief and shock) of the Editors’ Code of Practice.
The article and accompanying photograph, which showed the deceased’s widow being comforted, were complained about on behalf of the Hoy family.
According to the complainant, Rosemary MacLeod, the references in the article to the eulogy demonstrated that a reporter had attended the service.
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The Scottish Sun apologised to the Hoy family for the distress caused but said Sir Chris’s attendance made it newsworthy.
It said the pictures in question had been taken on the street after the photographer was asked to leave the churchyard.
The PCC ruled that the photographer was given clear indication that the family did not want to the photographs to be taken.
The newspaper offered to write a letter of apology to the family and removed the photograph from its website to try and resolve the complaint. The PCC welcomed the paper's efforts to resolve the matter but upheld the complaint.
Charlotte Dewar, head of complaints and pre-publication services, said: "One of the aims of the Code is to ensure that at times of great distress, family members are protected from unnecessary concern about press intrusion.
“While some families welcome coverage of funerals, for many others, such services are extremely private events, as was the case here.
“The Commission's ruling reminds editors of the need to take account of this as part of their general obligation under Clause 5 to handle the publication of such stories with sensitivity."
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