Frankie Boyle wins 54,000 pounds in libel damages

Monday 22 October 2012

Comedian Frankie Boyle won more than 54,000 pounds damages today after a High Court jury concluded that he had been libelled by the Daily Mirror.

Boyle, 40, from Glasgow, claimed that the Daily Mirror defamed him by describing him as "racist" and saying he had been "forced to quit" BBC panel show Mock The Week.

Publisher Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) defended the article, published on July 19 2011. MGN said the "racist" description was either true or "honest comment on a matter of public interest".

And the publisher said the words "forced to quit" did not mean that Boyle had been sacked and were not defamatory. But jurors ruled in favour of Boyle today after a week-long trial in London. They awarded him a total of £54,650 damages. Boyle, who said he would give the damages to charity, gave a v-for-victory sign as he left court and later tweeted his reaction. "I'm very happy with the jury's decision and their unanimous rejection of the Mirror's allegation that I am a racist," he said on Twitter. "Racism is still a very serious problem in society which is why I've made a point of always being anti-racist in my life and work and that's why I brought this action." Boyle had denied "punctuating" material with racist references or making "gratuitous" use of black people, during a trial in London. He told the High Court that characters he played might express racist views, but he did not. Boyle said he actively campaigned against racism and parodied racists - and claimed that the Daily Mirror had "misunderstood" the context of his use of language in jokes. MGN lawyers said Boyle was a "racist comedian" who gratuitously exploited negative stereotypes of black people for "cheap laughs". A barrister representing MGN had told the jury that Boyle was "callous" and "insensitive". Ronald Thwaites QC said jurors should not find in the comedian's favour. And he said if jurors thought that Boyle had been libelled they should show their "contempt" by awarding damages of 45p - the price of a copy of the Daily Mirror.

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Frankie Boyle wins 54,000 pounds in libel damages

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