Billy Tompson: News of the World pays footballer �70,000 for libel

Sunday, June 19, 2011

News of the World pays footballer �70,000 for libel

The newspaper notorious for its sting operations has been the victim of a sting.

The News of the World was hoaxed into believing that a footballer had sent sexually explicit text messages to "a mystery woman".

Under the headline "Ex-Celtic keeper is a real glove rat", the paper claimed he had been deceiving his pregnant fianc�e by sending her "explicit X-rated messages" and "sordid photos."

It published the story, about the Polish international player, Artur Boruc, in its Scottish edition in July last year.

The story was wholly untrue. Boruc sued the paper for defamation and the case had been expected to go to trial.

But the court of session in Edinburgh was told on Friday that the newspaper now conceded that it was in the wrong.

It had therefore agreed, in an out-of-court settlement, to apologise to Boruc and pay him �70,000, which is believed to be a record amount in a Scottish libel case. The paper will also pay all his legal expenses.

According to the News of the World's barrister, Roddy Dunlop QC, the paper had been "the victim of a highly complex deceit by one man."

The court was told the man, identified as Kevin O'Donnell, posed as Boruc's financial adviser and then wove a web of elaborate lies, with many interlinked strands which appeared to corroborate the story.

He set up a fake Facebook page and added bogus comments purporting to come from Boruc's girlfriend.

In one text image, he used a photoshopped picture of a man's torso in order to add a monkey tattoo, similar to one Boruc was known to have.

The scam only unravelled when mobile phone records showed that the calls had been made from a Glasgow hotel at a time when Boruc - who now plays for the Italian team Fiorentina - was on holiday in Sardinia.

Dunlop told the court that the defendants (News Group, the paper's publishers) "accept that they were entirely taken in by this fraud" but he added: "They were not reckless or irresponsible in the beliefs that they held.

Boruc's lawyer told the court that the allegations against his client had been "extremely upsetting." He said footballers "outed for misbehaviour faced being pilloried by rival fans."

PS: Moving on from the court report, and turning to the published story, I note these two paragraphs:

"Last night a friend of the Hoops hero... said: 'This is not a good time for this to come out. Artur's been stupid.'
The pal, who asked not to be named, added: 'He can't remember what he sent her but he should NEVER have done it.'"

In the light of the paper's admission that the story itself was untrue, these quotes are exposed as having been concocted.

It illustrates, once again, how difficult it is to believe anything one reads in the News of the World.

Sources: BBC/STV/The Scotsman