'No kitchen table blogger' - McAlpine V Bercow libel case

**bb1** Tue Apr 16, 2013 9:58 pm

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2309882/ally-Bercow-pay-paedophile-tweet-slur-say-Lord-McAlpines-lawyers.html

'She's no kitchen table blogger': Speaker's wife Sally Bercow must pay for 'paedophile' tweet slur, say Lord McAlpine's lawyers
Mrs Bercow tweeted 'Why is Lord McAlpine trending? *Innocent face*'
It followed a botched Newsnight investigation into abuse at care home
Lord McAlpine is suing speaker's wife for libel, a case which she refutes
By MARTIN ROBINSON
PUBLISHED: 13:54, 16 April 2013 | UPDATED: 16:40, 16 April 2013
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Tory peer Lord McAlpine today demanded speaker's wife Sally Bercow pay him damages for wrongly identifying him as a paedophile on Twitter, the High Court heard.
The former Conservative party treasurer claims Mrs Bercow was not 'some kitchen table blogger' and is suing over a post he says suggested he was guilty of sexually abusing boys living in care.
Mrs Bercow has always denied that her November 4 tweet, 'Why is Lord McAlpine trending? *Innocent face*', was defamatory.
Her tweet followed a Newsnight report that wrongly implicated Lord McAlpine in child sex abuse allegations.

Lord McAlpine's QC, MP Sir Edward Garnier, said in a preliminary hearing today that only 'a moron in a hurry' or an 'anchorite in a sealed cave' would not to have known the circumstances surrounding the tweet.
Sir Edward told Mr Justice Tugendhat that Mrs Bercow had 60,000 followers so her readership was bigger than some local newspapers.
'We are not talking about some kitchen table blogger addressing perhaps herself and one other person, ' he said.
'We are talking about a pretty widespread readership.'

In February, the peer, who has already received six-figure payouts from the BBC and ITV, announced he was dropping defamation claims against Twitter users with fewer than 500 followers and instead asked for a charitable donation to BBC Children In Need.
Mrs Bercow's counsel, William McCormick QC, said she had promptly tweeted her apologies, provided letters apologising for the distress caused and making clear that the underlying allegations were untrue, and made an offer to settle the case which had not been withdrawn.

Couple: Mrs Bercow is married to Commons speaker John, who live together in their grace and favour flat at Westminster

Sir Edward told the court that, in the context of the Newsnight broadcast and given the media storm and frenzy going on at that time, it was Lord McAlpine's case that the tweet identified him as the subject of the allegations.
Neither Lord McAlpine nor Ms Bercow were in court for the peer's contested application for the trial to be split in two, with the first hearing deciding the meaning of the tweet and, if that went in his favour, a second hearing on the appropriate level of damages.
Granting his request the judge directed that there should be a preliminary hearing on what was the actual meaning of the words complained of - both a natural and ordinary meaning and an innuendo meaning. He said he would give his reasons at a later date.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2309882/ally-Bercow-pay-paedophile-tweet-slur-say-Lord-McAlpines-lawyers.html#ixzz2QfqUZh6g
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**bb1** Thu May 16, 2013 4:41 pm

Latest on this:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2325457/Sally-Bercow-appears-High-Court-accused-pointing-finger-blame-Tory-peer-Lord-McAlpine-libellous-tweet-child-abuse-allegations-storm.html#ixzz2TTBFFUwC

On a completely unrelated and frivolous note....

'No kitchen table blogger' - McAlpine V Bercow libel case Article-2325457-19CF8364000005DC-752_306x624

'No kitchen table blogger' - McAlpine V Bercow libel case Article-2325457-19CF8364000005DC-752_306x624

I HATE those frocks that look as if the wearer has run them up herself from an old curtain. Pcorneater

'No kitchen table blogger' - McAlpine V Bercow libel case

'No kitchen table blogger' - McAlpine V Bercow libel case

Re: 'No kitchen table blogger' - McAlpine V Bercow libel case