Amateur Photographer Magazine

Photographer's pic breached 'privacy' code, says watchdog

Wednesday 25th November 2009

Chris Cheesman

A photograph of a woman outside her house was deemed to be an invasion of privacy even though the photographer was not on the property at the time, the press watchdog has ruled.

Nicola Shields complained that the Daily Record newspaper had also broken the Press Complaints Commission's code on harassment by pursuing her over a story that she was pregnant with a footballer's child.

The article was published on 18 August 2009.

The newspaper had made clear that its photographer was not on Ms Shield's own property when he took the image and said that she was clearly visible to anyone passing at the time.

The Daily Record also cropped the image so as not to identify Ms Shields' home.

On the privacy claim the PCC ruled: 'The Commission agreed with the complainant that she was in a place where she had a reasonable expectation of privacy when she was photographed.

'Her home was very secluded, on a private road, and there would have been very few passers-by to see her at the time the photograph was taken.'

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