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| Sally Bercow tweet libelled Lord McAlpine, high court rules | Sally Bercow tweet libelled Lord McAlpine, high court rules |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Sally Bercow has lost her libel battle with Lord McAlpine over a tweet that falsely linked him with an allegation of child sexual abuse. | Sally Bercow has lost her libel battle with Lord McAlpine over a tweet that falsely linked him with an allegation of child sexual abuse. |
| The high court ruled on Friday that her tweet – "Why is Lord McAlpine trending? *innocent face*" – after BBC2 Newsnight allegations about a high-profile Tory politician – would have been understood to mean the former Tory chairman was a paedophile. | The high court ruled on Friday that her tweet – "Why is Lord McAlpine trending? *innocent face*" – after BBC2 Newsnight allegations about a high-profile Tory politician – would have been understood to mean the former Tory chairman was a paedophile. |
| Bercow, who was not in court for the ruling, always denied her tweet was defamatory of McAlpine but on Friday said: "I very much regret my tweet." She has agreed to settle with McAlpine, six months after her tweet at the height of the mass Twitter libel. Bercow's husband, John, is Commons Speaker. | Bercow, who was not in court for the ruling, always denied her tweet was defamatory of McAlpine but on Friday said: "I very much regret my tweet." She has agreed to settle with McAlpine, six months after her tweet at the height of the mass Twitter libel. Bercow's husband, John, is Commons Speaker. |
| Britain's most senior libel judge, Mr Justice Tugendhat, said in his judgment that her tweet meant "in its natural and ordinary defamatory meaning that the claimant was a paedophile who was guilty of sexually abusing boys living in care. | Britain's most senior libel judge, Mr Justice Tugendhat, said in his judgment that her tweet meant "in its natural and ordinary defamatory meaning that the claimant was a paedophile who was guilty of sexually abusing boys living in care. |
| "If I were wrong about that, I would find that the tweet bore an innuendo meaning to the same effect." | "If I were wrong about that, I would find that the tweet bore an innuendo meaning to the same effect." |
| The ruling ends a six-month legal saga that caused McAlpine "considerable unnecessary pain and suffering", his lawyer, Andrew Reid, said outside court. | The ruling ends a six-month legal saga that caused McAlpine "considerable unnecessary pain and suffering", his lawyer, Andrew Reid, said outside court. |
| Bercow said: "To say I'm surprised and disappointed by this is an understatement. However, I will accept the ruling as the end of the matter. I remain sorry for the distress I have caused Lord McAlpine and I repeat my apologies. I have accepted an earlier offer his lawyers made to settle this matter. | Bercow said: "To say I'm surprised and disappointed by this is an understatement. However, I will accept the ruling as the end of the matter. I remain sorry for the distress I have caused Lord McAlpine and I repeat my apologies. I have accepted an earlier offer his lawyers made to settle this matter. |
| "Today's ruling should be seen as a warning to all social media users. Things can be held to be seriously defamatory, even when you do not intent them to be defamatory and do not make any express accusation. On this, I have learned my own lesson the hard way." | "Today's ruling should be seen as a warning to all social media users. Things can be held to be seriously defamatory, even when you do not intent them to be defamatory and do not make any express accusation. On this, I have learned my own lesson the hard way." |
| In his judgment, Tugendhat said there was no sensible reason for Bercow to include the words "*innocent face*" in her tweet, which sensible readers among her 56,000 followers would have understood to be "insincere and ironical". | |
| He decided that her tweet "provided the last piece in the jigsaw" and allowed readers to wrongly link McAlpine with the allegation of child sexual abuse. "It is an allegation of guilt. I see no room on these facts for any less serious meaning," Tugendhat added. | |
| Bercow described the legal wrangle with McAlpine as a "nightmare" and added: "I am sure he has found it as stressful as I have." | |
| The undisclosed financial settlement will be made to a charity of McAlpine's choice, Reid said outside court. Bercow will also have to make a statement of apology in open court at a later date. | |
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