Leveson Inquiry: Scots parents criticise press coverage of daughter’s death

THE Leveson Inquiry into press standards today heard from the parents of a Scottish schoolgirl stabbed to death in a playground attack in Glasgow.

Margaret and James Watson’s daughter Diane, 16, was killed in 1991 after a row at Whitehill Secondary School in Dennistoun, Glasgow.

Barbara Glover, 15, was later jailed for the killing.

The couple’s only other child, 16-year-old Alan, took his life in December of the following year. He was found dead with clippings of articles from The Herald newspaper and Marie Clare magazine about his sister.

Mrs Watson told the Leveson Inquiry that her son Alan “could take no more”.

During their evidence, Mrs Watson singled out Herald journalist Jack McLean, whom she claimed had used Diane’s case to “spearhead a campaign” into the treatment of young offenders, and had attempted to paint the murderer as the victim.

Mrs Watson said: “He [Mr McLean] said we came from an upper working class background and Diane had looked down on Barbara with disdain.”

She said that he had no right to represent Diane in the way he did, adding: “Journalists should have all the facts and not cause other tragedies to take place.”

Mrs Watson said she had never received an apology from The Herald or Mr McLean over the articles, published in 1992. It took more than a year to receive an apology over the Marie Claire magazine article.

The Watsons are now campaigning to have the law changed to make it an offence to defame the deceased.

The Scottish Government has launched a consultation on whether it should change the libel laws to protect the reputation of the dead.

Calling for a similar move by MPs at Westminster to cover the rest of the UK, Mrs Watson told the inquiry: “Just because a person has died, their reputation shouldn’t die with them. They shouldn’t be besmirched at the will of a sick journalist.”