EPAThe Guardian newspaper acted as the “judge, jury and executioner” of Noel Clarke’s career and reputation, the actor’s lawyer has told the High Court.
The 49-year-old is suing the paper for libel over a series of articles from 2021 and 2022 that included allegations of sexually inappropriate behaviour.
In written submissions as the trial opened, the Doctor Who and Kidulthood star’s legal team said claims that he was a “serial abuser of women” were false, and that he was the victim of an “unlawful conspiracy”.
Guardian News and Media (GNM) told the court it would defend its journalism as being both true and in the public interest, and described the conspiracy claim as a “wild allegation”.
The newspaper’s articles featured claims from a number of women in the film and TV industry who reportedly accused him of groping and sexually inappropriate behaviour over a number of years.
Mr Clarke’s barrister Philip Williams told the court his client had been wrongly called a predator.
“A sexual predator is not a womaniser, or someone who has had an extramarital affair, or a flirt, or a man who looks for mutually beneficial opportunities for sexual intercourse,” he said.
“Mr Clarke is absolutely not, and never has been, a sexual predator. The Guardian has got it plum wrong.”
The barrister continued: “The Guardian acted like archaeologists, and tried to dig up the past… they came up with a story that had more holes than a colander.”
Mr Williams said the actor had been “completely exiled” from the film industry since the stories were published, and was “perceived as a criminal by all those who previously trusted and worked with him”.
In written submissions for the trial, he said GNM’s sources were “hostile” and had “an axe to grind” against the actor, and that the “conspirators'” intention was to cause him “irreparable” financial and reputational damage.
Mr Williams said the actor “has clearly established the falsity of all of the allegations”.
However, Gavin Millar KC, for GNM, said that the paper “did not simply accept what was said to it”.
He told the court: “There was a three-and-a-half week investigation involving two reporters working full time on the story… Much time and resource was devoted to getting to the truth.”
Earlier, in written submissions that there was “ample evidence” that all of the articles were true or substantially true.
The Guardian said the trial would hear from 16 women who it said would tell the court about Mr Clarke’s conduct first-hand. It said they would give evidence of harassment, unwanted sexual conduct and sexual assault.
“There is no motive for them to lie and the claimant has not suggested any, beyond making wild allegations as to an alleged conspiracy,” it said.
The trial is scheduled to last for six weeks.
