Paper's payment `justified'

London - The Press Complaints Commission has ruled that the Daily Mail was justified to make payments to the family of Ms Louise…

London - The Press Complaints Commission has ruled that the Daily Mail was justified to make payments to the family of Ms Louise Woodward, the British nanny convicted of killing a baby in the US.

The commission said the payment was justified because of the enormous public interest in the case.

It said the money - the Mail declined to reveal the amount - was used by Ms Sue Woodward to help her daughter's legal costs and there was nothing left over for profit. And it said payment was necessary because of the "obvious financial plight" of the Woodwards.

The payment was before the au pair's conviction was reduced from murder to manslaughter.