Noel Clarke must pay £3m of newspaper's legal costs

Bill could double after failed libel bid over sex pest claims

- By Danny Halpin

ACTOR Noel Clarke must make a £3million down payment on The Guardian’s legal costs after losing his “far-fetched” libel case over its reporting of sexual misconduct allegations, a High Court judge has ruled.

He sued Guardian News and Media over articles, including one in April 2021 that said 20 women who knew him professionally had alleged misconduct, including harassment and sexually inappropriate behaviour.

The Doctor Who star, 49, denied the accusations, and his lawyers said the newspaper had acted as the “judge, jury and executioner” of his career.

GNM defended its reporting as being true and in the public interest and in a judgment last month, judge Mrs Justice Steyn agreed.