Humiliation for Sally Bercow as Speaker's wife faces £150,000 bill over Lord McAlpine libel tweet

 
Sally Bercow
24 May 2013
WEST END FINAL

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Sally Bercow today faced a major libel payout and massive legal bill after a humiliating High Court defeat over a Tweet.

The Speaker’s wife must now apologise in open court to Lord McAlpine who will travel to London from his home in Italy to hear it personally.

Damages are expected to be up to £50,000 and Bercow will also have to pay costs of up to £100,000.

Mr Justice Tugendhat ruled that she had Tweeted a defamatory statement which would be understood to mean that the Peer had been “guilty of sexually abusing children living in care.”

Bercow had posted the Tweet “why is Lord McAlpine trending?* innocent face*”two days after a Newsnight report into the Bryn Estyn childrens home sex scandal.

The judge ruled that the Tweet was defamatory not only in its “natural and ordinary meaning” but also through innuendo to Bercow’s 56,000 followers.

She had always denied her comment was defamatory and after today’s ruling insisted she had meant no “malice”.

“I was being conversational and mischievous, as was so often my style on Twitter,” she said in a statement.

“To say I am surprised and disappointed by this (judgement) is an understatement. 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.

“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 intend them to be - on this I have learned my own lesson the hard way.”

Lord McAlpine is still receiving abuse over the internet and has called for police action to quell it, his solicitor Andrew Reid said.

“The apologies previous received from Mrs Bercow did not concede that her Tweet was defamatory but clearly she must now accept this fact,” he said.

“He failure to admit that her Tweet was defamatory caused considerable unnecessary pain and suffering to Lord McAlpine and his family over the last six months.

“The judgement is one of great public interest and provides both a warning to and guidance for people who use social media.”

He added: “Lord McAlpine is still subject to the most venomous social media commentary and all of those people who Tweeted have been encouraging this and fanning the flames.

“I hope the police will take action and they need to because it is now involving other members of his family as well and it really has to stop.”

Lord McAlpine has donated the libel damages to Children in Need and other charities. He received a total of £310,000 from BBC and ITV.

The hearing at which the apology will be read out by Bercow’s lawyers will be on a date to be fixed. She does not have to be present.

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