Ecclestone fair game, but leave daughter alone.

British Sunday newspaper The Mail on Sunday has had its knuckles rapped over a story it ran about the domestic life of the Ecclestone family.

The article, published in August last year, painted a picture of Ecclestone's wife holding the balance of power in the Ecclestone household and of numerous security measures in their London home.

The article was based on the account of John Ketterman, a former boyfriend of Bernie Ecclestone's daughter, Tamara, and was entitled 'Bernie the battered husband.'

Ecclestone brought the article to the attention of the British Press Complaints Commission through his solicitors, Schillings, who claimed that the article broke the privacy clause of the Commission's Code of Practice. The particular grievance was that the story disclosed the marital relationship between Ecclestone and his wife, Slavica, the domestic and security arrangements of the household, and the relationship between the Ecclestone's daughter and her boyfriend.

The newspaper defended itself with the argument that the Ecclestones are public figures who, though their own interviews with newspapers had already discussed personal matters therefore should not be afforded the same level of privacy if they had not. The paper also brought out arguments for press freedom and the right for the boyfriend to tell his story.

The Commission ruled that the newspaper had gone too far with the focus on the Ecclestone's daughter, but that the breach was only 'one point relating to a small section of the story breached the Code.

The Press Complaints Commission's adjudication is in today's The Mail on Sunday and can be seen in a separate story on Crash.net.