East London Times acknowledges that an article published on 7 October 2026 concerning Paul Whiteman’s conviction at Snaresbrook Crown Court contained an inaccurate headline.
The headline incorrectly stated that Mr Whiteman had been found guilty of rape. Mr Whiteman was not convicted of rape.
Following a four-day trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court, which concluded on 1 October 2026, Mr Whiteman was found guilty of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence, namely rape of a child under 13.
This is a separate criminal offence from rape itself. The original headline did not accurately reflect the offence for which Mr Whiteman was convicted and may have given readers the misleading impression that he had been convicted of personally committing rape.
East London Times recognises the seriousness of this error and apologises unreservedly to Mr Whiteman for the inaccurate headline and any distress, reputational harm or misunderstanding it may have caused.
We are committed to accuracy, fairness and responsible reporting, particularly in matters involving criminal proceedings. We recognise our duty to ensure that headlines accurately reflect the facts and the outcome of court cases.
We regret this error and reaffirm our commitment to correcting inaccuracies promptly and transparently.
