A News Shopper story about a Thamesmead mortgage fraud case has been wiped from some Google services in the latest barmy blow by Brussels to press freedom.

The article detailed a court appearance by seven people accused at Westminster Magistrates' Court in August 2007 of buying 84 off-plan new build flats in Thamesmead, and reselling them at inflated prices.

Mohamed Barrie, then aged 38, of Pinewood Place, Dartford, was charged with conspiracy to defraud, conspiracy to money launder and money laundering.

Muctaru Barrie, from Canada, faced charges of acquiring criminal property.

Brad Fisher and George Sourou, both from IIford, Sofiyah Ahmed, of Walthamstow, Stuart Joseph, of Pinner, and Dean Dairo, of Essex, were all charged with conspiracy to defraud.

Fisher had also been charged with two counts of money laundering, Sourou was charged with five counts of money laundering and Joseph and Dairo were charged with false accounting.

All of the men were subsequently cleared of the charges following a trial at Southwark Crown Court.

But the story has now been partially erased from Google web searches after the company received a request to remove it, following controversial EU laws which allow the "right to be forgotten".

News Shopper received a notification from Google, who will not reveal who made the request, stating: "Due to a request under data protection law in Europe, we are no longer able to show one or more pages from your site in our search results in response to some search queries for names or other personal identifiers.

"Only results on European versions of Google are affected."

The EU law has proved divisive since it was introduced, with critics saying it allows people and organisations to airbrush their internet history.

This latest request comes on the heels of Google wiping from its searches a News Shopper story about Monster Raving Loony Party north Kent chief Lord Toby Jug hitting his partner eight years ago.