UK actor Noel Clarke loses libel lawsuit over sexual misconduct accusations

Noel Clarke's Libel Case Against The Guardian Ends in Defeat

Overview of the Libel Lawsuit

LONDON (Reuters) -British actor and filmmaker Noel Clarke lost his libel lawsuit against The Guardian newspaper on Friday over accusations of sexual misconduct towards women.

Background on the Accusations

London's High Court ruled that the accusations were substantially true and that the reports were in the public interest.

Court Proceedings and Ruling

Clarke is best known for writing and starring in "Kidulthood" (2006), which explored bullying, drug abuse and extreme violence among young people in London, and for a recurring role in sci-fi show "Doctor Who".

Clarke's Response and Claims

Clarke sued The Guardian in 2022, a year after it printed a series of articles calling him a "sexual predator" and reporting that he had been accused by around 20 women of unwanted touching, bullying and sexually inappropriate behaviour on set between 2004 and 2019.

The accusations were first reported just weeks after Clarke received an Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, which promptly suspended his membership and award.

Clarke, 49, denied any sexual misconduct and sued The Guardian for up to 70 million pounds ($93.24 million), arguing that his reputation and career had been destroyed by what he described as false allegations motivated by the #MeToo movement.

The Guardian, however, called over 20 women to give evidence that they had experienced or witnessed Clarke's sexual misconduct, at a trial which began in March.

Judge Karen Steyn said in a written ruling on Friday that The Guardian had proven that the accusations against Clarke were substantially true, the legal test for defending a libel lawsuit.

($1 = 0.7508 pounds)

(Reporting by Sam Tobin and Paul SandleEditing by Gareth Jones)