Carter-Ruck blog: THE LEVESON INQUIRY – VICTIMS OF THE MEDIA TURN THE TABLES ON THE PRESS

by **Jill Havern** 01.07.19 23:33

Posted on 27 November 2011 by Carter-Ruck

The Leveson Inquiry has been making headline news on an almost daily basis since it began to hear the evidence of a number of victims of the media. While the Inquiry was largely prompted by the News of the World phone-hacking scandal, it is considering evidence on far wider issues of press conduct, of which the testimony of Kate and Gerry McCann has proven a powerful example.

After their daughter Madeleine was abducted in the Algarve, the McCanns were the subject of an unprecedented number of highly defamatory and utterly baseless articles. These ranged from allegations that the couple had killed their daughter and disposed of her body, to the equally abhorrent suggestion that they had sold Madeleine into white slavery in order to pay off debts. Yet due to Portuguese laws of judicial secrecy, the McCanns were forbidden from speaking out. “We were being tried by the media and unable to defend ourselves” Gerry McCann told the Inquiry.

The McCanns explained that they were ultimately able to obtain some redress through the libel complaints which Carter-Ruck brought on their behalves, and which led to front page apologies in a number of newspapers as well as donations of substantial damages to the Find Madeleine fund.

The couple explained to the Inquiry, however, that their victimisation by the press went much further than this. They had repeatedly been ‘doorstepped’ and harassed by photographers who had caused considerable distress to their younger daughter and son, while a journalist had also managed to deceive Mr McCann’s mother into handing over a private photograph of the family.

For Kate McCann, the worst moment came in 2008 when lengthy extracts of her personal diary were splashed over the front page of the News of the World, without any warning. The diary had been seized by Portuguese police who subsequently handed it back. Mrs McCann told the Inquiry:
“I felt totally violated. I had written these words at the most desperate time of my life, and it was my only way of communicating with Madeleine…I just recently read through my diary entries at that point in that week, and I talk about climbing into a hole and not coming out because I just felt so worthless that we had been treated like that.”

The Inquiry is expected ultimately to make recommendations as to how the culture, practice and ethics of the press may be improved and better regulated, and in light of the evidence from the McCanns and the many other media victims it is difficult to see how the Inquiry could conclude that anything short of a full overhaul in press regulation is necessary. In the meantime the Inquiry is clearly providing an important platform for the victims of egregious press behaviour, who have previously struggled to have their voices heard against the might of the media machine.

https://www.carter-ruck.com/blog/read/the-leveson-inquiry-victims-of-the-media-turn-the-tables-on-the-press

This ^^^ is the first ever entry in the Carter-Ruck blog.
Funny that.

https://www.carter-ruck.com/blog

by Guest 02.07.19 1:36

“We were being tried by the media and unable to defend ourselves”

Gerry McCann told the Inquiry.

So was Gonçalo Amaral tried by the UK media and unable to defend himself.

The McCanns were graced with the luxury of prestigious libel lawyers to fight their cause, paid for by a wealthy benefactor and/or the Find Madeleine Co Ltd - money donated by good hearted people to assist the 'search' , such was the power of the McCann campaign.

Snr Amaral didn't have that luxury, his aid came from good hearted people who could recognize the injustice he suffered at the hands of the ruthless mendacious duo who chased him through the Portuguese courts. Good hearted people labelled 'trolls' by the same media who the McCanns were so happy to condemn during the Leveson inquiry.

The McCanns invited the media and the public into their lives .... Gonçalo Amaral didn't!

Where is the justice?

by **Jill Havern** 02.07.19 8:49

And some of the good hearted people who donated to GA's legal fund had actually donated to the McCann's 'Find Maddie' Fund before they learned facts that made them change from being McCann supporters to McCann sceptics.

The McCanns were happy to take their money before labelling them as 'trolls' when they changed their opinion.

Money that they took and used, not for finding Maddie at all, but used to pay their mortgage and lawyers, who made GA get divorced so they could seize his assets, a divorce that broke up his family that included young children.

Unforgivable behaviour, on top of what they did to Maddie and, in turn, the twins.

Suffer the children...

And after all that viciousness from the McCanns, they still lost anyway.

by willowthewisp 04.07.19 11:38

Hi Jill Havern, MP Mathew Hancock put paid to any further unfurling of Government Collusion to certain "Historic Events" to become ensconced back into the public Domain, Leveson 2?

Phone Hacking, Unsolved Murders, MP's closeness to Business Owners, now why would that be the case, Public became bored with what was being uncovered?

No the 650 Buffoons, in Parliament know best what the public need to concentrate on, "Brexit" Article 50?

Now resorting to child's game played at parties, "Pin the Tail on the Donkey", that'll Do,aka Madeleine McCann's disappearance after Nine yrs review, are they bored of No evidence yet?

by **PeterMac** 11.07.19 15:56

https://bylinetimes.com/2019/06/21/leveson-tells-the-truth-about-press-lies/

BREAKING I Knew I was Being Lied to by Newspaper Editors Over Phone Hacking, says Sir Brian Leveson

The recently retired judge revealed he always feared the Leveson Inquiry was “unwinnable”.

The judge who led the public inquiry into press ethics has revealed he ‘knew’ some national newspaper editors were lying to him under oath about phone hacking.
Sir Brian Leveson, head of criminal justice in England and Wales, made the unusually candid admissions at a public question-and-answer session at Oxford University with Alan Rusbridger, former editor of the Guardian newspaper.
On whether editors told him the truth from the inquiry witness box, Sir Brian said: “Some people did, some people didn’t. Do I know who I know didn’t tell the truth? Yes. Did I always say that in there? No. Not least because [at the time] the criminal investigation was still going on.”

Sir Brian Leveson wrote:So somebody somewhere hasn’t told the truth. Now that would have been an interesting part of Part 2.

Sir Brian’s powerful comments put pressure on the Metropolitan Police and Crown Prosecution Service to investigate, among others, former Daily Mirror editor Richard Wallace and Sunday Mirror editor Tina Weaver over the evidence they gave to the 2012 inquiry.
Both denied knowledge of phone hacking only to be found by High Court judge Mr Justice Mann in a subsequent civil trial to have been explicitly aware of the illegal news-gathering practice, as revealed by Byline last November.

Future Criminal Investigations

Under the Inquiries Act 2005, the penalty for “intentionally distorting” evidence to a public inquiry is up to 51 weeks in prison or a £1,000 fine, or both, although proceedings to prosecute can only be instituted by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) of England and Wales, Max Hill QC.
On whether there should be criminal probes, Sir Brian said: “It is not for me to decide… it’s not for me to initiate prosecutions. I’ve done the job; other people have got to get on with it.”

Sir Brian Leveson wrote:It is interesting is it not, that The Sunnewspaper has paid out millions to people who complained that they were hacked by The Sun, although we were told The Sun wasn’t involved at all?

by **PeterMac** 11.07.19 15:56

Not the only people who lied under oath to him !

by willowthewisp 11.07.19 17:00

Thank you to Petermac for producing the full article from Mr Leveson, even though it was obtained from the "Sun" News Paper owner.

Now, do you think Mr Hancock will now rescind his previous actions on Leveson 2? No chance of those MP's having to allow access to some very "Soiled Garments", being hung out for the delectations to the public for scrutiny?

Carter-Ruck blog: THE LEVESON INQUIRY – VICTIMS OF THE MEDIA TURN THE TABLES ON THE PRESS