Jeremy Vine says Joey Barton’s payout ‘not final outcome’ of libel case

Published

3 months ago

June 18, 2024

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Jeremy Vine has said the apology and £75,000 Joey Barton has agreed to pay him in damages is “not the final outcome” in his defamation case against the former footballer.

On Tuesday Barton, 41, published an apology and agreed to pay the Radio 2 presenter, 59, the sum after Vine sued him for libel and harassment in the High Court over online posts in which he used a number of slurs and made unfounded allegations.

But in a later tweet, Vine said: “The news of Joey Barton’s apology and commitment to pay damages and costs is not the final outcome of this case.”

He explained that his legal team had offered Barton the chance to settle out of court for “£75k, plus my costs” and an apology.

But, Vine said: “He ignored that offer and posted more disgusting tweets about me, even publishing my home address to his followers.

“When I then took my case to the High Court, a judge ruled that TEN of the tweets I complained of were defamatory. Having lost, Barton has returned to the offer we made after tweet 5.

“There has therefore been a parallel action on tweets 6-10 and Barton will pay further damages for these. A number of other steps – including statements made in Court by way of apology – are still to be taken, and Barton has agreed to pay my legal costs of all of the claims.”

Posting on X earlier on Tuesday, Barton said: “Between 8 and 12 January 2024 I published 11 posts which accused Jeremy Vine of having a sexual interest in children, and created a hashtag which made the same allegations, which were viewed millions of times.

“I recognise that this is a very serious allegation. It is untrue. I do not believe that Mr Vine has a sexual interest in children, and I wish to set the record straight.”

The former Manchester City player said he also published posts during the same period in which he referred to Vine as having “advocated forced vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic, based upon a video clip of his TV programme”.

Barton added: “I accept that he did not advocate this policy and that the video clip has been edited to give a misleading impression of what he was in fact saying. I then taunted and abused Mr Vine for bringing a legal complaint against me.

“I have agreed not to make the same allegations again about Mr Vine and I apologise to him for the distress he has suffered. To resolve his claims against me in defamation and harassment, I have agreed to pay Mr Vine £75,000 in damages and his legal costs.”

As well as the damages, Barton has agreed to pay Vine’s legal costs.

‘Calculated and sustained attack’

In court, lawyers for Vine said the abusive posts about the broadcaster were part of a “calculated and sustained attack” and Barton even used one particular phrase as part of a hashtag which ended up trending on the platform.

William McCormick KC, representing Barton, said at an earlier hearing that the posts contained “vulgar abuse” but did not libel Vine, and represented “someone who is posting in the heat of the moment”.

But Mrs Justice Steyn ruled on Tuesday that 11 of the posts could defame Vine.

She said a reader would not have perceived the posts as “meaningless abuse ‘shouted’ in the heat of the moment, as there is nothing in the post that would give that impression”.

UK

Dame Maggie Smith, known for her roles in Harry Potter and Downton Abbey, has died

Published

10 hours ago

September 27, 2024

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Dame Maggie Smith, known for her roles in Harry Potter and Downton Abbey, has died at the age of 89, her sons have said.

The actress died in hospital, her children Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens said.

In a statement, they said: “An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end. She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and unstinting kindness during her final days.

“We thank you for all your kind messages and support and ask that you respect our privacy at this time.”

Born in Essex in 1934, Dame Maggie became an internationally recognised actress – one of the most versatile, accomplished and meticulous actresses of her generation.

Her first significant accolade came after playing the fanatical teacher in The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie in 1969, which won her a best actress Oscar and BAFTA.

Her second Oscar came for her role in California Suite in 1978 which won her a best supporting actress trophy, as well as a Golden Globe.

More recently she won a new generation of fans as Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, in Downton Abbey and playing Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter movies.

Although she was a tour de force in leading roles on the West End stage, she was equally happy – even during the years of her mega-stardom – to accept supporting roles, particularly in films.

The Downton Abbey TV series won her a series of awards – three Emmys, a Golden Globe, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards.

TV presenter Gyles Brandreth has led the tributes, describing her as “wise, witty, waspish, wonderful” and “one of a kind in every way”.

Sir Keir Starmer posted on X that Dame Maggie was a “true national treasure whose work will be cherished for generations to come” while former prime minister Rishi Sunak described her as “an icon of the stage and screen”.

Meanwhile a message posted by BAFTA said: “Dame Maggie was a legend of British stage and screen, winning five BAFTAs as well as a BAFTA Special Award and BAFTA Fellowship during her highly acclaimed career.”

She took Maggie as her stage name because another Margaret Smith was active in the theatre. She was 18 when she first appeared on stage, in Twelfth Night.

Laurence Olivier spotted her talent, invited her to be part of his original National Theatre company and cast her as his co-star in a 1965 film adaptation of Othello.

Some of her best-known movies included: Young Cassidy in 1966, Death On The Nile in 1979, Quartet in 1982, The Secret Garden in 1994, Tea With Mussolini in 2000, Gosford Park in 2002, and The Lady In The Van in 2016.

She married fellow actor Robert Stephens in 1967. They had two sons and divorced in 1975. The same year she married the writer Beverley Cross, who died in 1998. She was made a Dame in 1990.

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UK

UK weather: Met Office issues 185 warnings for flooding as M5 motorway closed and drivers abandon cars

Published

12 hours ago

September 27, 2024

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UK weather: Met Office issues 185 warnings for flooding as M5 motorway closed and drivers abandon cars

More than 180 flood warnings and alerts are in place across England this morning after days of heavy rain – forcing the closure of a motorway as drivers abandoned their cars.

The Met Office said northern and central parts of England and Wales had been hit hardest, resulting in widespread travel disruption across Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire and the West Midlands.

As of this morning, the Environment Agency had 66 flood warnings in place across England, meaning flooding is expected, and 119 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible.

A new yellow weather warning for strong winds was later issued for the south west of England and Wales on Sunday.

Disruption is likely as winds strengthen from west to east during Sunday, with gusts of 50-55 mph likely in places, exceeding 60mph in the most exposed areas.

The Met Office said this would be accompanied by outbreaks of rain, heavy at times, which could lead to some surface water and spray.

An earlier yellow rain warning for large parts of England and Wales ended at 9am this morning, with a separate amber warning for areas of the Midlands and south expiring at 6am.

Meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said localised flooding would continue despite the warnings ending.

Check latest weather forecast where you are

He said: “A lot of these areas have been hit by rain in the past few weeks, which means the ground is already saturated.”

While the Met Office expects the weather to “ease up and become a bit drier”, some areas will still be dealing with the aftermath of the heavy rain.

“Rivers often take time to respond, so we’re expecting disruption to continue in central and southern parts throughout the morning. Those planning to travel on Friday should factor this into their journey times,” Mr Dewhurst said.

Commuters faced significant disruptions this morning, with heavy rain and flooding causing problems to roads and rail services.

Rail services between Shrewsbury in Shropshire and Wolverhampton in the West Midlands were cancelled, with disruption expected all morning, after severe flooding at Wellington station and a tree on the line.

Images posted on social media showed tracks at a train station in Shropshire completely submerged and abandoned cars on an empty motorway in Gloucestershire.

Avon Fire and Rescue also said this morning that it was rescuing people stranded on the M5 in Gloucestershire, which remains closed northbound between junction 16 and junction 14 because of flooding.

The motorway had reopened southbound between J14 and J15, but hour-long delays and up to four miles of congestion were still expected in both directions.

One football club has appealed for help getting their grounds “straightened up and dried out” after heavy rainfall on Thursday evening.

Non-league team AFC Telford United in Shropshire posted photos and videos on social media of significant flooding at their pitch and gym facilities.

Councils and emergency services in Northamptonshire and Hertfordshire said several roads had to be closed but reassured residents they were working to keep people safe overnight.

Tewkesbury Borough Council, in Gloucestershire, has been handing out sandbags to residents to help protect their homes against flooding.

The rain will ease this afternoon and is set to usher in much colder conditions on Saturday, the Met Office said.

Meanwhile, Oxford residents were subject to even stranger weather when a tornado-like feature was spotted in the sky on Thursday.

The Met Office believes it is a funnel cloud, which can become a tornado if the bottom of the structure makes contact with the ground.

Several other funnel clouds have been reported to the Met Office in various locations this week, it said.

UK

Shaun Rooney: St Mirren defender charged with assaulting woman in Glasgow takeaway

Published

12 hours ago

September 27, 2024

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Shaun Rooney: St Mirren defender charged with assaulting woman in Glasgow takeaway

St Mirren defender Shaun Rooney has been charged with assaulting a woman as well as a breach of the peace against a man in a Glasgow city centre takeaway.

The Scottish Premiership side announced on Thursday the 28-year-old had been suspended on a “precautionary basis” after he reported the alleged incident to his bosses.

In a statement, the Paisley club vowed to “undertake a full investigation” and said it would be making “no further comment during this process”.

On Friday, Police Scotland confirmed Rooney had been arrested and charged and is due to appear at the city’s sheriff court at a later date.

The force said: “A 28-year-old man was arrested and charged in connection with an assault on an 18-year-old woman and a breach of the peace against an 18-year-old man in takeaway premises on Queen Street, Glasgow, in the early hours of Thursday 19 September 2024.

“He was released on an undertaking to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court at a later date.

“A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.”

Rooney began his career in the youth set-up at Dundee United and has played for a number of teams including Dunfermline Athletic, Inverness Caledonian Thistle and St Johnstone.

He returned to Scottish football this summer following a two-year contract with Fleetwood Town in Lancashire, England – where former Celtic captain Scott Brown was manager for a spell.