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Ryan Giggs loses damages claim against the Sun | Ryan Giggs loses damages claim against the Sun |
(30 minutes later) | |
A damages claim by Manchester United and Wales footballer Ryan Giggs against the Sun newspaper has been thrown out by a High Court judge. | A damages claim by Manchester United and Wales footballer Ryan Giggs against the Sun newspaper has been thrown out by a High Court judge. |
Mr Giggs was granted an injunction in April 2011 after a 14 April article in the Sun on an unnamed player's alleged affair with the model Imogen Thomas. | Mr Giggs was granted an injunction in April 2011 after a 14 April article in the Sun on an unnamed player's alleged affair with the model Imogen Thomas. |
Despite the order, he was widely identified on social networking sites. | Despite the order, he was widely identified on social networking sites. |
The newspaper had argued that the footballer's claim was "dead in the water". | The newspaper had argued that the footballer's claim was "dead in the water". |
On 21 February, Mr Giggs consented at the High Court to being named as the footballer behind the injunction, which prevented the publication of details of an alleged extra-marital affair. | |
Mr Justice Tugendhat had been considering whether Mr Giggs could sue the Sun for alleged breach of privacy. | Mr Justice Tugendhat had been considering whether Mr Giggs could sue the Sun for alleged breach of privacy. |
'Misused information' | 'Misused information' |
During arguments at the High Court hearing, Hugh Tomlinson QC, for Mr Giggs, said the Sun "misused" private information in the article, in which the footballer was not identified. | |
Mr Tomlinson said Mr Giggs was claiming damages for the subsequent re-publication of information in other newspapers and on the internet, and argued that his claim should go to trial. | |
He suggested the Sun article "generated a large media storm" and said the damages claim was about "providing effective protection" for Mr Giggs's right to privacy - enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights. | |
Richard Spearman QC, for the Sun's publisher News Group Newspapers, said the article reported Ms Thomas's relationship with a Premier League player and did not identify Mr Giggs. | |
He said the Sun behaved "properly" and was not responsible for what happened after the article appeared. | |
'No basis' | |
Mr Spearman said legal action had been "spun along for a long, long time" - an allegation Mr Tomlinson described as being "wholly without foundation" - and told the court: "Going forward, there just is not a basis." | |
In a written judgment handed down on Friday, Mr Justice Tugendhat said he had decided to "refuse to grant relief" to Mr Giggs. | |
Mr Giggs was originally granted an injunction on the basis that TV presenter Ms Thomas appeared to have been trying to blackmail him. | |
However, the 2003 Miss Wales and former Big Brother contestant took legal action against him and, in December 2011, Mr Giggs accepted that she had not been blackmailing him |