Which Newspaper Will Buy Robert Murat’s Story?
MADELEINE McCann aguido Robert Murat has accepted £600,000 in libel damages over claims that he was involved in her abduction.
Outside court Mr Murat says: “The newspapers in this case brought about the total and utter destruction of mine and my family’s life and caused immense distress.”
Round up here.
Mr Murat, his friend Michaela Walczuch and IT consultant Sergey Malinka had all brought proceedings against Associated Newspapers, Express Newspapers, MGN Limited and News Group Newspapers over nearly 100 “seriously defamatory” articles.
Murat’s solicitor, Louis Charalambous, says:
“In particular, the defendants accept that none of the claimants had any involvement whatever in the abduction of Madeleine McCann.
“They accept that none of the claimants has any paedophile tendencies or connection with paedophiles or paedophile websites and that none of them lied to the police or obstructed the investigations.
“They accept that Mr Murat’s actions after the abduction were entirely proper and were motivated by a desire to help find Madeleine McCann. He became a volunteer translator for the Portuguese police and did everything he could to assist the investigation.
“Ms Walczuch was never suspected or accused of any involvement in the abduction of Madeleine McCann. Mr Malinka was not guilty of any sexual misconduct and has no criminal convictions.”
Now which paper will buy the rights to his story and try to earn back some of their losses?
Posted: 17th, July 2008 | In: Madeleine McCann Comments (499) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
Comments
July 17th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
71
Melanie Says:
July 17th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Can somebody tell me in what way the twins have suffered during this round of litigation? Seriously…
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Mel, those twins will live with this for the rest of their lives. They will one day face their parents with the knowledge that they were left in exactly the same dangerous situation as their older sister, who is no longer with them.
We don’t necessarily mean that the twins have suffered during this round of litigation. The twins have been affected by this for over a year now ….. and for many more years to come ……
As small as they were, they will not be immune to what happened.
July 17th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Melanie
Your hormones are all shot?
What version were you reading?
July 17th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
62
wtf Says:
July 17th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
chenier
Madelaine hasnt done too well either
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You are very right, wtf. I wish that I could believe that she might be alive somewhere, but I see no realistic chance of that…
July 17th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
70
chenier Says:
July 17th, 2008 at 1:42 pm e
Quite so; my thought was that over the last year many people have said how awful it was for the twins.
I haven’t seen many people acknowledging the damage done to the other children involved…
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I take your point; I think the twins have possibly excited more attention due to the fact that one day they will have to acknowledge to themselves, if not the world, that their parents exposed them to the same, possibly deadly, danger.
Whilst finding that your parent was libeled, however foully, is one thing, learning that your parent willfully exposed you to such danger is a bitter pill to swallow.
July 17th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
65
Melanie Says:
July 17th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
GCSE media studies students
Q) Newspapers are far more exposed because…?
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…the recent introduction of the ’sacrificing the editor’s first-born’ clause has led to a dramatic increase in the number of writs issued. With hindsight, perhaps the clause should have been grand-fathered in…
July 17th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Glibly was too strong, apologies.
I’ve been reading Medea recently, my hormones are all shot!
July 17th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Carmen, re 68 - aye that too!
July 17th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Can somebody tell me in what way the twins have suffered during this round of litigation? Seriously…
I know it is the right thing to say but do we really know that they have suffered, that they are suffering and what the sum of that suffering is? Are we assuming they are suffering? We don’t know anything about them. Their time may yet be to come.
We glibly throw out these things like we are all in the know.
July 17th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
63
Carmen Says:
July 17th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
Petermac,wtf, Chenier
Nor the twins, nor the twins.
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Quite so; my thought was that over the last year many people have said how awful it was for the twins.
I haven’t seen many people acknowledging the damage done to the other children involved…
July 17th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Chenier
I see you got the point too………….
Disgraceful isn’t it!
July 17th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
65
Melanie Says:
July 17th, 2008 at 1:38 pm e
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G. The advent of conditional fee agreements means that even the hoi poloi have access to top solicitors these days……………
July 17th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
58
Carmen Says:
July 17th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
The Press Gazette – who did not feel similarly moved to comment after the McCann’s successful action against the Express group – have this to say.
“Newspapers are far more exposed because people like Robert Murat who might not have had access to this kind of approach can do so now,” said Shan.
Is this code speak for ‘we used to only worry about the ones with money?’
http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=41683
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Yes.
Conditional Fee Agreements are the only way that people like Robert Murat and Michaela Walczuch can pursue libel actions.
They didn’t have any helpful multi-millionaires to back them.
Their lawyers must have been convinced that they had an iron clad case, since otherwise they would never have agreed to take the case.
Good for them!
July 17th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
I’m so happy for Murat and his family!
May God bless them all!
July 17th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
GCSE media studies students
Q) Newspapers are far more exposed because…?
A) They no longer worry about dishing the dirt
B) The sales revenue is greater than the cost
C) People will still buy our rubbish
D) Journalism is no longer about being a good reporter
E) All of the above
F) All the above and more…
July 17th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
carmen
I know, poor little things
July 17th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
Petermac,wtf, Chenier
Nor the twins, nor the twins.
July 17th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
chenier
Madelaine hasnt done too well either
July 17th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
49
PeterMac Says:
July 17th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
Everyone seems to be doing quite well out of the disappearance of a little girl.
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I don’t think so.
What do you imagine it has been like for the child of Robert Murat, and the child of Michaela Walczuch?
I don’t think they have done very well out of it at all…
July 17th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
melanie
metaphorically or physically?
July 17th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
wtf, I am off to Bognor on Monday!
July 17th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
The Press Gazette – who did not feel similarly moved to comment after the McCann’s successful action against the Express group – have this to say.
“Newspapers are far more exposed because people like Robert Murat who might not have had access to this kind of approach can do so now,” said Shan.
Is this code speak for ‘we used to only worry about the ones with money?’
http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=41683
July 17th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
53
chenier Says:
July 17th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
“Chenier’s Court Fund”
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That would be ‘Chenier’s Taxis to Court Fund’, but there is no need.
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Ok, in that case, you wouldn’t mind packing an overnight bag and popping over to the arrivals lounge of the airport closest to Rothley - camera in hand (pretend to be a tourist) …. and await the hopeful arrival of the long arm of the law from Portugal over this weekend?
July 17th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
50
Carmen Says:
July 17th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Chenier
According to the BBC…
His then girlfriend Michaela Walczuch and IT consultant Sergey Malinka also brought proceedings against Associated Newspapers, Express Newspapers, MGN Limited and News Group Newspapers and were awarded “substantial six figure settlements”.
Can you settle whether these ’six figure settlements’ were part of the overall £600,000 or in addition to it. Simons, Muirhead, Burton still haven’t updated their web site.
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I don’t know; no figures were mentioned in Court.
My impression, for whatever it is worth, was that the very lengthy statement read out was what they were in Court for.
You can take your pick between ‘very substantial’ said by Louis Charalambous, and ’substantial’ said by Keith Mathieson, to each of the claimants plus their legal fees.
July 17th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
54 melanie
Do you not just lie back and think of bognor?
July 17th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
wtf - far too often!
July 17th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
“Chenier’s Court Fund”
————————-
That would be ‘Chenier’s Taxis to Court Fund’, but there is no need.
It was pleasant to be there and to be able to smile back at the youngsters, feeling that at last we had recognised that more than one family was struck a devastating blow on 3rd May, 2007…
July 17th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
melanie
July 17th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
49
PeterMac Says:
July 17th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
Everyone seems to be doing quite well out of the disappearance of a little girl.
Do you think there’s a link there?
July 17th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Chenier
According to the BBC…
His then girlfriend Michaela Walczuch and IT consultant Sergey Malinka also brought proceedings against Associated Newspapers, Express Newspapers, MGN Limited and News Group Newspapers and were awarded “substantial six figure settlements”.
Can you settle whether these ’six figure settlements’ were part of the overall £600,000 or in addition to it. Simons, Muirhead, Burton still haven’t updated their web site.
July 17th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
Everyone seems to be doing quite well out of the disappearance of a little girl.