Reaction/the newspapers: Newspapers at the centre of the Ian Bailey libel action yesterday said they were "vindicated" by Judge Patrick J. Moran's judgment in Cork Circuit Court.
Mr Bailey lost his libel case against six of the eight newspapers that he claimed defamed him following his arrest in 1997 for questioning over the murder of the Frenchwoman, Ms Sophie Toscan du Plantier.
However, the Sun and the Irish Mirror expressed disappointment at the court's decision that they had defamed Mr Bailey by reporting that he had been violent towards his former wife in England.
Both newspapers are considering whether to appeal Judge Moran's ruling, in which they were directed to pay Mr Bailey a total of €8,000.
Mr Paddy Clancy, of the Sun, said that overall it had been a "good day for newspapers" and defended the original article published following Mr Bailey's arrest on February 14th, 1997.
"I still stand over what I wrote. In everything else we wrote, the judge agreed that we were quite right to describe him as a murder suspect and a violent man. He only found that perhaps he may not have been violent towards his first wife.
"I'm not happy or unhappy at the result. Nobody is happy going into court, no matter what the circumstances. But I am satisfied that it is a good day for newspapers."
Mr John Kierans, editor of the Irish Mirror, also said he was disappointed at the judge's ruling but that, overall, the newspaper had been vindicated.
"We are very, very disappointed but, on the big picture, it's been a good day for newspapers. Bailey came to court to vindicate his good name and he lost six out of the eight actions."
He said the aspect which led to the €4,000 award against his newspaper was "a side issue of the case. At the moment we are considering our position. We'll sit down with out legal people next week to discuss the matter." The other newspapers Mr Bailey was suing - the Sunday Independent, the Independent on Sunday, the Daily Telegraph, the Star, the Times and the Sunday Times, expressed "delight" at the ruling.
Mr Michael Roche, managing director of Independent Newspapers (Ireland) Ltd, said the Sunday Independent had always maintained Mr Bailey had not been defamed by an article published in July 1997.
"The judge fully accepted the evidence of a large number of witnesses who flatly contradicted the evidence of Mr Bailey and described him as someone seeking self-publicity and notoriety. The judge said that all newspapers were entirely justified in describing Ian Bailey as a violent man," Mr Roche said.
Mr Ger Colleran, editor of the Star, also said the ruling vindicated the newspaper's coverage and expressed disappointment at the decision against the Irish Mirror and Sun.
"Overshadowing all of this is the fact that a woman has been brutally murdered and that nobody has been brought to justice. There is evidence and information out there which may be of assistance to the gardaí in bringing forward a case against the perpetrator of this cruel and savage murder," Mr Colleran said.
Mr Colin Randall, executive news editor with the Daily Telegraph, said the courts were "rarely happy places" for journalists given the nature of libel law, but that yesterday had been an exception. "We are delighted that our decision has been vindicated. Freedom of the press and the right to report events properly comes at a price. For once the outcome has been in our favour." He said the paper was delighted for the reporter who covered the story and in, general terms, for the press in covering what was "a matter of public importance".
