Briton loses Dh1m libel case against English newspaper

Dubai: A British plaintiff has lost a libel case in which he was seeking damages worth Dh1 million against an English newspaper that he accused of tarnishing his family's reputation by publishing details of his wife's adultery trial.

The claimant, who works for a national carrier, accused the Dubai-based English newspaper of ruining his image and reputation and harming the feelings of his two teenage daughters by publishing private details about his wife's adultery case.

"The Dubai Court of Misdemeanors sentenced my wife and her boyfriend to two months in jail followed by deportation… the newspaper held a media campaign against myself and my daughters and ran a defamatory story which libelled me.

"In their story, they published wrong and misleading facts plus untrue and biased details. Their story was picked by British tabloids and newspapers that splashed the news and ran front page headlines in a slanderous and vilifying style.

"The Dubai-based newspaper repeatedly and maliciously published the adultery story in its front page over several issues," claimed the Briton in his civil lawsuit against the newspaper.

A Dubai Civil Court's jury recently dismissed the Briton's civil lawsuit. However, the primary verdict is still subject to appeal.

The plaintiff alleged, in his lawsuit, that the published stories slandered and embarrassed his daughters, aged 12 and 14, in front of their schoolmates, teachers and friends.

"My family incurred traumatic emotional and moral damage due to the libelous articles.

"The newspaper, furthermore, continued its tyranny and published untrue facts that I was the one who reported the police that my wife was cheating on me with her boyfriend in a hotel.

"The defendant claimed in its biased coverage that I reported [to] the police that my wife cheated on me to use that as evidence against her in the divorce case and our daughters' custody struggle in court.

"In its coverage, the defendant asserted that I reported [the matter to] the police out of personal interests and not because I was motivated to maintain my family's honour," claimed the Briton.

He also claimed that his daughters couldn't endure the embarrassment and said their schoolmates and friends had started pointing fingers at them and perceiving them as "daughters of the adulteress".

"I lost my job due to the emotional and moral stress and pressures I face… my daughters became severely distressed and remained home around the clock to avoid facing the community.

‘Biased reporting'

"The newspaper intended to sell more copies through its biased and unprofessional newsgathering and reporting," alleged the plaintiff who sought Dh1 million in moral and emotional damages.

The newspaper's lawyer said the editorial team did not have any libelous or malicious intentions against the Briton.

Presiding Judge Baha'a Al Deen Ebrahim dismissed the case and ordered the Briton to pay court fees and Dh200 lawyers fees also.