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| Consultant wins aggravated libel damages against Daily Mail | Consultant wins aggravated libel damages against Daily Mail |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A management consultant has won £65,000 aggravated libel damages over a Daily Mail claim that he won Scotland Yard contracts through cronyism. | A management consultant has won £65,000 aggravated libel damages over a Daily Mail claim that he won Scotland Yard contracts through cronyism. |
| Andrew Miller brought high court proceedings over a front-page splash in the Daily Mail in October 2008. | Andrew Miller brought high court proceedings over a front-page splash in the Daily Mail in October 2008. |
| In 2011, high court judge Mr Justice Tugendhat ruled that the article meant that there were, at the date of publication, reasonable grounds to suspect that Miller was a willing beneficiary of improper conduct and cronyism because of his friendship with former Metropolitan police commissioner Sir Ian Blair in respect of the award of a number of Met contracts to his company worth millions of pounds of public money. | |
| Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers denied libel, contending the article was substantially true or that the action was an abuse of process. | Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers denied libel, contending the article was substantially true or that the action was an abuse of process. |
| Giving her ruling on Friday, after a hearing in May, Mrs Justice Sharp said Associated's defence of justification – that the claim made in the article was true – had failed and she could find no basis for concluding that Miller's continuation with the claim was an abuse of process. | |
| "I have already said I regard the allegation made by the article as serious. It was very prominently published to many millions of people," Sharp added in her judgment. | "I have already said I regard the allegation made by the article as serious. It was very prominently published to many millions of people," Sharp added in her judgment. |
| "I am in no doubt that Mr Miller had suffered considerably as a result of its publication; and was very distressed and hurt by it. There was substantial aggravation in my view. This is also a case where a significant award is required to vindicate Mr Miller's good name." | "I am in no doubt that Mr Miller had suffered considerably as a result of its publication; and was very distressed and hurt by it. There was substantial aggravation in my view. This is also a case where a significant award is required to vindicate Mr Miller's good name." |
| Sharp said she had decided to take the relatively unusual step to award aggravated damages because of factors including the Daily Mail's failure to contact Miller before publication, the prominence of the article on the paper's front page, and its failure to publish an apology, correction or retraction, despite admitting errors in its story. | Sharp said she had decided to take the relatively unusual step to award aggravated damages because of factors including the Daily Mail's failure to contact Miller before publication, the prominence of the article on the paper's front page, and its failure to publish an apology, correction or retraction, despite admitting errors in its story. |
| The judge also took into consideration Associated persisting with its justification defence, accusing Miller of abusing the legal process by continuing with his action, and its "lengthy and tenacious" cross examination of the claimant. | The judge also took into consideration Associated persisting with its justification defence, accusing Miller of abusing the legal process by continuing with his action, and its "lengthy and tenacious" cross examination of the claimant. |
| Blair said: "I am pleased by this judgment. The allegations of impropriety involving Mr Miller's friendship with me were always without any foundation." | Blair said: "I am pleased by this judgment. The allegations of impropriety involving Mr Miller's friendship with me were always without any foundation." |
| • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication". | • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication". |
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