Gerry Adams Awarded €100,000 in Libel Case Victory

Former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has been awarded 100,000 euro (£84,000) in damages after winning his libel action against the BBC.

Winning the Case
Mr Adams said that a BBC Spotlight programme, and an accompanying online story, defamed him by alleging he sanctioned the killing of former Sinn Fein official Denis Donaldson, for which he denies any involvement. A jury at the High Court in Dublin found in his favour on Friday, after determining that was the meaning of words included in the programme and article. It also found the BBC’s actions were not in good faith and that it had not acted in a fair and reasonable way.

Background
Mr Donaldson was shot dead in Co Donegal in 2006, months after admitting his role as a police and MI5 agent over 20 years. In the programme broadcast in September 2016, an anonymous source given the pseudonym Martin claimed the shooting was sanctioned by the political and military leadership of the IRA and that Mr Adams gave “the final say”.

Legal Battle
Mr Adams sought damages of at least 200,000 euro from the BBC. However, the public service broadcaster had argued it would be a “cruel joke” to award the former Sinn Fein president any damages. The jury determined that Mr Adams should be awarded 100,000, which the jury heard falls on the medium scale for defamation. Trial judge Mr Justice Alexander Owens sent the jury out to begin deliberations at 10.25am on Thursday morning, in the fifth week of proceedings.