Wednesday 6th May My son and his friend were accused of kicking a man in the head causing his death, and such was reported in the newspapers with their photos and addresses. Because my husband is well known in the music industry the press considered that perfectly right to print these lies about our Son and hound him, BEFORE it went to trial. Our family was devastated that they could print that sort of information without knowing the true facts. It was later proved in court that kicking him to death could not possibly have happened, and they were freed. This is also an appalling misrepresentation of press coverage. Because of that, there are still people that think my Son and his friend did actually do this, and was only freed by some miscarriage of justice. Thanks to the press. I must add, I have for many years been appalled by the lies printed and made up by the press. Irrespective of what happened to our son I would be more than willing to support you in this quest. It has to STOP. I have never bought a newspaper since, and never will. Apart from distressing and ruining some peoples lives, the press are not reporting true facts on other subjects. Let's put an end to this propaganda.
14th April 2009 I was pregnant with my first child , I am the oldest of seven and it was my mum and dads first grand child. five months into the pregnancy I was touring with my band Fairground Attraction having just recieved the Brit award. After the show in Manchester I felt sick and had some slight blood spotting so I went to casualty there and then after staying in over night cancelled the rest of the tour and went for a weekend to wales with my husband. It was a friday. On monday we got the train home and discovered that everyone had been calling my machine... My mum was in tears and my dad was distraght... I called them and I told them I was fine so was baby. In the NEWS OF THE WORLD on the weekend (which I hadnt seen) the headline was: SINGER LOSES BABY!!!! how unbelievable is that? What pain was caused? I am behind you one hundred percent...... I never had redress... I ignored it.... I wanted to kill the fat cat who was dining out on that headline .... and I never courted sensation... only honourable music making and kind heartedness... but you are right, they are wanting to spread bitterness and hate... I have mistrusted the media ever since... even the broadsheet writers... Remember though...... George Bernard Shaw said... never pick fights with people who buy their ink in barrels.
14th April 2009 I had a number one hit record with the song PERFECT in 1989.... before the success of that record I lived in a PRE-FAB, I was a struggling musician all through the eighties and I was given the keys of this rundown box in LAMBETH after singing on someones record when I first came to london. Before that I was sleeping on floors. With the bits and pieces of money I made here and there I spent seven years turning it into a little comfortable home. I put in a toilet. carpets. I fixed the leaking flat roof, and I got a gas man to fix the combi boiler. I even planted roses and a garden. The council that owned this little shack near Lambeth walk would not accept rent from me even though I tried to pay them . I was informed that if they accepted rent then they would have to fix it up ... so for seven years I had this stale mate with them. They liked me there other wise it would fall derelict as the others in that street did, BUT they didnt take rent because they would have to spend money looking after it. The agreement was that they tell me when they would demolish it and I could (off the record) stay until then. So I had a home in london. Then the record was a HIT.. and for a few months I toured. One day a record company sent a limo to pick me up. The driver told the Sun about my home. I was doorstepped and in the paper the headline was TOP OF THE SQUATS....with a picture of my little place and the address for all to see. I had no time to even take a breath let alone move home. They wrote the article like I was a wealthy millionaire and I was ripping off the tax payer by squatting. But I didnt rip anyone off.. I was saving the council money. I tried to ignore the boys throwing bricks through the window. But the last straw was when I was home and watching tv one winters night when a mans face and eyes were peering through the window... I almost collapsed with fear. I felt he was a rapist. I screamed and the next day I moved back to glasgow to my mums. Leaving the keys with a man next door who was an alcoholic who burned it down. Eddie Reader
My suggestion is to scrutinize stories printed in the sun and produce a website called www.thesunlies.com or something of that nature. Here you could document various stories each week that have clearly been exaggerated or plain made up. I'm not sure what the resources would be required for this but if the public could really get an idea of how many lies there being told on a daily basis it might help. You could even name and shame the reporters. Get pictures of them and place them on the website. I'd love to see how these animals would like be on the receiving end of some of their own treatment. Good luck and if there is anything more I can do to help please let me know. Regards, Jon
My story regarding the scum............6 years ago my brother was found dead after being missing for nearly 5 months, the police informed the immediate family that they had found a body but it wasn't confirmed that it was my brother, they said that dental records were being checked and as soon as they knew either way they would let us know. We hadn't told all the rest of the family at this time as it wasn't confirmed that it was him. The next day in the SCUM they had published the story about the body being found and named my brother in full, they had also said that he was wanted by the police, but this was a complete lie. As most of the family read the SCUM at that time, they had found out that morning that my brother had been found dead before we had had a chance to tell because the police had not even confirmed the identity of the body.We then got straight onto the police and questioned this, as we had not been told for sure that it was him, they had said that they were still awaiting the results and do not know how the SCUM had got his name. Later that day they did confirm that it was my brother.
The next day we contacted the SCUM to try and find out where they had got there information from and how could they print something like that when the family were still unsure as confirmation had not yet been received from the police, there reply was "sue us if you think you can afford to".
How can they say something like that to the family that had just had such devastating news, they really didn't care less. We also asked where they got the information that he was wanted by the police as this was a complete lie as well, but they just gave the same answer again, in a very cocky, can't be bothered tone of voice.
Although the damage has been done and as much as we would have like to have taken them to court we just could not have afforded too, we just hope that by posting this on the web something can be done about them and more people will realise that what they print is not news at all. They just don't realise the pain and the hurt that they cause, and they don't even care.
Disgusted in the SCUM.
