In the item “Jasper started it, honest” (18 October) about the Daily Telegraph’s recent feature on Tunbridge Wells it was wrongly suggested that Jasper Gerard had asked two boys of seventeen to pose for a fake picture showing them drunk, and that the paper had published it without their permission.
We are happy to make it clear that Mr Gerard did not commission the photograph nor was he present when it was taken and we apologise to Mr Gerard. The Telegraph also tells us the professional photographer who did take the picture insists that it was both authorised and genuine. Link
Hanif Malik: In 7/7 bombers got Children in Need money (20 August, page 8) we reported that funds given by BBC’s Children in Need to the Leeds Community School Charity were fraudulently passed on to a neighbouring bookshop, where two of the London bombers worked, to fund their radical Islamist propaganda and for terrorist training purposes. We fully accept the assurance of Leeds Community School’s founder, Hanif Malik, that no Children in Need money was passed to the bookshop or the bombers nor was it used to pay for any propaganda or for terrorist training purposes. We apologise unreservedly to Mr Malik for the upset and distress caused. 
In our article “7/7 bombers ‘used cash from Children in Need’” (20 August 2008) we said that money from the BBC Children In Need Appeal, given to the Leeds Community School charity, was improperly channelled to the neighbouring bookshop where two of the London bombers worked. We accept the assurance of the school’s founder, Hanif Malik, that no money from the Children In Need Appeal was passed to this bookshop nor to the bombers, nor was any used to pay for propaganda. We are happy to set the record straight and apologise to Mr Malik for any distress caused. 
In yesterday’s early print editions we published an article about the arrest of Bradley Saunders ,’Olympic boxer held over £12,000 cocaine stash’ and, due to a captioning error by the picture agency, included a picture of the boxer, Tony Jeffries, by mistake. We apologise to Tony Jeffries for this error. 
The Pandora column on 8 and 23 August referred to Ian McCartney and his advisory work for Fluor. We have been asked to make it clear that Mr McCartney personally receives none of the remuneration for this role: part of the fee is used to employ someone in the House of Commons from his Makerfield constituency and the rest is used to support the Women’s Interlink Foundation (
There were several errors in the obituary of the saxophonist Pat Crumly [7 October].
In an item in Tuesday’s ‘Pandora’, ‘Strange but is it true? The mysterious boycott of Little Britain’, we quoted a New York radio presenter who said that he thought that the claimed West Hollywood Gay Lesbian Alliance protests about Little Britain’s series for the USA were most likely planted by someone’s publicist to generate publicity… ‘ We accept that MBC PR, publicists for Little Britain, did not do thiis. We also accept that ‘Little Britain’s new US show is not the ‘most politically incorrect , offensive and obnoxious material ever seen in this country’ and is suitable for broadcast. We apologise to all concerned. 
It has come to our attention that in recent years, we, The Media, may have mistakenly given the impression that Victoria Beckham was a figure of ridicule. Certain articles and other items pertaining to the popular Spice Girls singer could have led readers to question her talent and integrity, it has been found. Indeed, some remarks relating to the well-known entertainer and mother of three were open to misinterpretation as criticism of her, and may have been received by some readers as such.
In our 8 June article headlined “Western giants feel the force of the Alfa males” we reported a reference in the Indian press that Mikhail Fridman was being investigated by anti-money laundering agencies in Europe. We can confirm that we have no evidence of any such investigation, and apologise to Mr Fridman. We also reported that Mr Fridman is the cousin of Dmitry Fridman, the director of a company, Farimex, which has brought proceedings against the Norwegian company, Telenor. We accept that neither Mr Fridman nor any Alfa Group company has any connection with either Dmitry Fridman or Farimex. 
Our report on 23 April suggested that until the British tennis professional Robert Dee won a match in April this year, he had lost every previous professional match he had played, enduring a run of 54 consecutive defeats. We now accept that this was wrong as Mr Dee had won, and continues to win, many professional matches in Spain where he is based and plays most of his competitive tennis, including 20 matches in the last year alone. We apologise to Mr Dee. 
In our article about Bolton Wanderers (8 April 2008) under the headline “Bolton set to sack Megson”, we incorrectly stated that the club was planning an overhaul in its management structure and was set to appoint a coach to work with a director of football and that as a result Gary Megson would be sacked.
Contrary to the impression given by the headline to the Pandora column on 13 June, the Temporary Denial Order imposed by the US Department of Commerce on a number of companies including Balli Group plc does not relate to arms but to passenger airplanes. We accept that the matter has nothing whatsoever to do with arms and we apologise to them and to Lord Lamont for this error. Balli Group plc’s position is that the decision to issue the Order was based on inaccurate information, it has instructed attorneys to appeal against the Order and is fully cooperating with the Department’s enquiries. We will pay substantial damages which Balli Group plc are donating to the British Museum. 
