Mr James Barlow of London SW1 complained that the Daily Mail published an article written by Victoria Aitken on 9 June 1999 headlined "My father is a good man. He doesn't deserve such hate" in breach of Clause 16 (Payment for articles) of the Code of Practice.

The complaint was rejected

Miss Aitken used the article to present her own view of her father who had just been sentenced to 18 months in prison for perjury and perverting the course of justice. She wrote of the events preceding the conviction and the effect that the episode had had upon her.

The newspaper denied paying Miss Aitken and said that it had paid a sum of money to charity instead for the article.

The Commission believed that the newspaper had made the correct decision in not paying for the article in view of the fact that there was no public interest element to it. Payment had not been necessary, and none made.