Evening Standard to pay £9,000 plus costs
Ken Bates was today awarded £9,000 in libel damages by a High Court jury in London over false allegations that he had sworn at a business man.
The former Chelsea Football Club chairman had taken action over an Evening Standard article in July 2003. The article in the newspaper’s City Insider diary had alleged that negotiations for a franchise deal with Harry Ramsden’s fish and chip shops had stalled after Bates kept a representative waiting for two hours and then told him to “fuck off”.
Bates had told the court he did not remember dealing with the representative, Graham Parr, but would “certainly not” have behaved in the manner alleged in the article.
5RB’s Jacob Dean, instructed by Carter-Ruck, was junior counsel for Ken Bates.
Ex-Chelsea Chairman gets damages – BBC News
Ken Bates gets £9,000 damages for ‘Evening Standard’ libel – The Independent
Damages award for Ken Bates – The Guardian