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Robbie wins damages in "secret homosexual" case
LONDON (Reuters) - British pop star Robbie Williams on Tuesday accepted undisclosed libel damages and apologies from publishers who retracted allegations they had made in newspapers and magazines that he was a secret homosexual.
The People newspaper ran a story in 2004 headlined "Robbie's secret gay lover" shortly before the publication of a biography of the singer by his friend Chris Heath. According to Williams' lawyer, Tom Shields, the article suggested the star was "about to deceive the public" over his sexuality in the book "Feel."
People publishers MGN Ltd and magazine publishers Northern & Shell Plc, which ran similar stories, now accepted that none of the allegations was true, Shields said.
"Mr. Williams is not and never has been homosexual," Shields said in a prepared statement read in open court. According to Shields, People newspaper had alleged that in the book Williams had been "pretending" his only sexual relations had been with women and that "in reality he was a homosexual who had engaged in casual and sordid homosexual encounters with strangers."
He added that the newspaper alleged Williams had enticed a stranger into a toilet in a Manchester club where the two men performed sex acts on each other and where Williams asked the stranger to engage in a further sex act.It also said the 31-year-old had another sexual encounter with a stranger in the streets behind the club a year later.
Shields added that similar allegations appeared in the pages of Star magazine and Hot Stars magazine last year, published by Northern & Shell.He said both publishers had agreed to pay "substantial damages" and publish prominent apologies.
Zoe Norden, solicitor for MGN and Northern & Shell, said: "I accept that the allegations were untrue. The defendants apologize to the claimant and expresses regret for the injury and distress caused." In addition to the apology and damages, legal costs run up by Williams will be paid by the two publishers.
LONDON (Reuters) - British pop star Robbie Williams on Tuesday accepted undisclosed libel damages and apologies from publishers who retracted allegations they had made in newspapers and magazines that he was a secret homosexual.
The People newspaper ran a story in 2004 headlined "Robbie's secret gay lover" shortly before the publication of a biography of the singer by his friend Chris Heath. According to Williams' lawyer, Tom Shields, the article suggested the star was "about to deceive the public" over his sexuality in the book "Feel."
People publishers MGN Ltd and magazine publishers Northern & Shell Plc, which ran similar stories, now accepted that none of the allegations was true, Shields said.
"Mr. Williams is not and never has been homosexual," Shields said in a prepared statement read in open court. According to Shields, People newspaper had alleged that in the book Williams had been "pretending" his only sexual relations had been with women and that "in reality he was a homosexual who had engaged in casual and sordid homosexual encounters with strangers."
He added that the newspaper alleged Williams had enticed a stranger into a toilet in a Manchester club where the two men performed sex acts on each other and where Williams asked the stranger to engage in a further sex act.It also said the 31-year-old had another sexual encounter with a stranger in the streets behind the club a year later.
Shields added that similar allegations appeared in the pages of Star magazine and Hot Stars magazine last year, published by Northern & Shell.He said both publishers had agreed to pay "substantial damages" and publish prominent apologies.
Zoe Norden, solicitor for MGN and Northern & Shell, said: "I accept that the allegations were untrue. The defendants apologize to the claimant and expresses regret for the injury and distress caused." In addition to the apology and damages, legal costs run up by Williams will be paid by the two publishers.
