Andrew Cowles, Widower of Stephen Gately, Lodges Formal Complaint About Jan Moir

Andrew Cowles and Stephen Gately during happier times.

When Stephen Gately of Boyzone passed away of natural causes October 10, 2009, fans were shocked and saddened that a vibrant young man could just be gone. But sadness turned to anger when Jan Moir, columnist for London’s Daily Mail, suggested that his death “was more than a little sleazy,” and that his civil partnership was a “happy ever after myth.” She did this the day before his funeral.

Outrage was instant. Advertisers pulled themselves from the online piece. Britain has a Press Complaints Commission (PCC) which is a self-regulatory body. In the days following Moir’s column, and the follow-up “apology” the next week, the PCC lodged 25,000 complaints, which was ten times the previous number against a single piece. But because the code of conduct says the PCC only investigates complaints by a “connected party,” those complaints seemed likely to languish.

Now Andrew Cowles, Gately’s civil partner, has lodged a formal complaint against Moir and the Daily Mail.  In accordance, the PCC Director, Stephen Abell, says the investigation on Moir’s conduct is now active, and that the PCC has written to the newspaper.

During happier times, the couple were darlings of the press.

The specific parts of the code of conduct that have been alleged to be breached are dealing with guidelines on accuracy, intrusion on shock or grief, and discrimination. By my own simplistic assessment, it appears she crossed the line on at least the intrusion bit, and while the others are more subjective, those as well.

It has been pointed out before that the PCC is a self-regulating body, and that the Daily Mail itself holds a great deal of power there, so all of this may come to nothing. And no timeline has been given for the investigation. Still one can hope that after such a terrible year, some justice can be given to Stephen’s family and friends.