The PCC found that the headline, published by the Isle of Wight County Press, was inaccurate.

The man had pleaded guilty to attacking his girlfriend’s friend, which he claimed was having an affair with her friend. But the friend (who filed the complaint to the PCC) and the girlfriend refuted the claims.

So the paper was found guilty of reporting the man’s claim as fact, although the paper said it had accurately reported what was said in court.

But the PCC’s accuracy claus states that newspapers "must distinguish clearly between comment, conjecture and fact," which wasn’t made clear in this case.

This should serve as a reminder to editors used to looking for eye-catching headlines – certainly this was the reasoning when the paper chose the headline – that accuracy remains most important.

Source: Guardian Unlimited