Mayo man told he cannot sue British ‘Mirror’

Mayo man cannot sue British Mirror in Ireland


A man cannot bring libel proceedings in Ireland against a London-based newspaper which allegedly published a defamatory photograph of him in its British editions, the Supreme Court has ruled.
The Irish Times reports that John Coleman had argued before the Supreme Court he was entitled to bring his case here because the photo and an accompanying article was in the online edition of the Daily Mirror, as well as the paper version, and was therefore published here.
Mr Coleman, who now lives in Castlebar, and formerly lived at Cordroon, Cross, Claremorris, claimed he had been defamed because the photo was used with an article entitled “Yob War – Boozy: Lads on a typical night out in Britain”.
Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), publishers of the Daily Mirror, had applied to the High Court to rule the courts here had no jurisdiction to deal with the case. In January 2007, Mr Justice Peter Charleton held against MGN and said the case could go ahead here. A newspaper from abroad could arrive a day later in Ireland, he said. The newspaper group appealed to the Supreme Court, which found in its favour.