Noel Clarke arrived at the High Court today for the start of his £10million libel battle against the Guardian over a series of articles alleging sexual misconduct against several women.
Legal documents submitted to the High Court by him state eight articles – involving alleged behaviour towards 20 women during a 15-year period – had a ‘catastrophic’ impact on his career.
He claims this caused him to suffer losses of more than £10million – with lucrative work contracts being cancelled following the allegations.
The newspaper described him as a ‘sex predator,’ claiming instances of unwanted touching or groping, sexually inappropriate behaviour and comments on set, the covert filming of a naked audition and the sharing of explicit pictures without consent.
The 47-year-old, who rose to prominence playing Mickey Smith in Doctor Who in 2005, profusely denied all of the accusations.
Noel Clark arrives at the Royal Courts of Justice today for the start of his £10million libel fight against the Guardian
Mr Clarke, in paperwork given to the BBC, says that subsequently ‘every existing or upcoming contract’ that he had was cancelled and that he has ‘not had one single work contract since’ – despite the Metropolitan Police saying there was not enough evidence against him to warrant a criminal investigation.
The allegations, covering 2004 to 2019 and reportedly made by women who previously worked with him, led to him being axed from Sky TV show Bulletproof, for which he is now claiming just over £1million in losses, and ITV’s Viewpoint drama, which he says cost him a further £470,000.
Mr Clarke stated a new Channel 5 programme called Highwater, which he was producing, would have paid him £60,000.
He was also due to a produce a BBC series called Crongton, for which he is claiming a further £60,000, and a movie called Something In The Water, which he says would have earned him £40,000.
The actor was stood down from his production company, Unstoppable Film and TV, and he says that leaving the organisation has lost him £7million in salary and profits from shares.
The company made the Sky One police drama Bulletproof as well as films including Adulthood and Brotherhood.
The total in the court documents, as part of a defamation claim against The Guardian, is £10,140,000.60.
Clarke posing with his Bafta for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema. This was suspended after the allegations came to light
A friend of Mr Clarke’s told the Daily Mail: ‘It was all a big set-up and he didn’t sexually assault anyone.’
The pal also accused the females, former colleagues of the actor who worked with him on film and television projects, of ‘flirting with him to get roles in his shows’.
Mr Clarke is claiming for general damages, which cover harm to reputation, plus special damages, which involve specific financial losses.
He says ‘the impact on him financially has been devastating’.
His lawyers are also asking for aggravated damages for what is described as the ‘relentless, targeted, vicious and persistent nature of the wholly unjustified defamatory campaign’ by the newspaper.
A hearing, at which the court will decide whether the articles are defamatory or whether they were statements of fact and opinion, was scheduled to be heard at the High Court tomorrow. However, the court was told the actor wanted to instruct new solicitors so it has been delayed until October or early November.
The Guardian has not yet been required to file a defence but Mr Clarke’s legal team asserts in court papers that ‘it appears from the pre-action correspondence’ that the newspaper appears ‘to be intent on robustly defending’ the case.
Following the allegations, first made in 2021, Mr Clarke had his Bafta membership suspended and the Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema award he had been given days before was revoked.
The Guardian won a gong in the same year at the British Press Awards for the story.
After the articles were published, Mr Clarke said he ‘vehemently’ denied ‘any sexual misconduct or criminal wrongdoing’.
He added he was ‘deeply sorry’ if some of his actions had affected people ‘in ways I did not intend or realise’ and vowed to get professional help ‘to educate myself and change for the better’.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk
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