Cases

Blake v Associated Newspapers Limited

Facts

The Claimant brought a libel action against the publisher of the Daily Mail. He had been a vicar within the Church of England before relinquishing his status in 1994. He continued to describe himself as a reverend and to wear clerical robes. He was a founder of "The Society for Independent Christian Ministry" and later of "The Province of Open Episcopal Ministry and jurisdiction". In 2000 the Claimant was ordained a priest and later consecrated a bishop by a co-founder of POEM. In his capacity as a bishop of POEM the Claimant presided over the marriage of two homosexual men on television. The Defendant's newspaper published two articles about the programme and the Claimant, which he alleged imputed that he was not a validly consecrated bishop and that he publicly and dishonestly imitated a bishop. ANL pleaded justification and fair comment.

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