High court rejects actor’s claim that accusations against him by more than 20 women were false and part of a conspiracy
The Guardian has successfully defended a libel action brought by the actor Noel Clarke over an investigation by the newspaper in which he was accused of sexual misconduct by more than 20 women.
In a high court judgment handed down on Friday, Mrs Justice Steyn rejected Clarke’s claim. He had said the allegations set out in the Guardian’s investigation were false and that he had been the victim of an unlawful conspiracy.
The Guardian argued the allegations were true and that the articles and podcast about him were in the public interest.
The court agreed, ruling that the Guardian had “succeeded in establishing the truth defence and the defence of publication in the public interest”.
