A High Court judge dismissed Noel Clarke's libel claim against the Guardian, concluding the newspaper's reporting was accurate and served the public interest. The allegations dated to an April 2021 investigation that named Clarke, a Bafta-winning actor and director, and reported accusations of sexual misconduct by more than twenty women. Clarke sued nearly a year later seeking millions in damages. The trial began in spring with 26 witnesses testifying in defence of the newspaper. The final judgment ends a prolonged legal battle and reinforces legal protection for investigative reporting into allegations of sexual misconduct.
On Friday morning, a high court judge ruled against the actor Noel Clarke in his libel case against the Guardian. As the Guardian's investigations editor, Paul Lewis, explains, it marks the end of a long and gruelling litigation process. In April 2021, the Guardian published an investigation about Noel Clarke a Bafta-winning actor and director in which he was accused of sexual misconduct by more than 20 women.
But nearly a year later, Clarke brought a libel action against the newspaper, claiming millions of pounds of damages. As Lewis tells Helen Pidd, the trial began in spring this year, with 26 witnesses coming to the Guardian's defence. The final judgment that the Guardian's investigation was both true and in the public interest is an emphatic victory for the paper, and for the future of investigations into sexual misconduct. Support the Guardian today: theguardian.com/todayinfocuspod Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Collection
[
|
...
]