Council agrees libel payout over allegations in objection to licence application

A district council has apologised and agreed to pay damages to a landowner who was libelled by a neighbour in the authority’s Temporary Events Notices (TENs).

The neighbour, Alexander Evans, made defamatory allegations against Sir Benjamin Slade when objecting to an application the latter submitted for a licence to hold a festival on his property, Maunsel House in Somerset.

Sedgmoor District Council re-published the allegations in its TENs in April and May 2012.

Evans has since accepted his allegations were untrue, apologised to the claimant for the distress caused and withdrawn the allegations in a letter.

The letter from Evans said: “In my objection, I said that there were grounds for concern about public safety at the proposed event arising from Sir Benjamin’s conduct.

“My statement may have been understood to suggest that Sir Benjamin had, with the help of what I described as ‘heavy-handed helpers’, engaged in criminally violent behaviour towards his ex-girlfriend.”

The letter continued: “I fully accept that these allegations are not true and that Sir Benjamin has never used or authorised the use of any violence towards his ex-girlfriend.”

Evans also wrote: “My main concern, at all times, was to ensure that the festival posed no threat to public safety, given the high numbers that were expected to attend. I accept entirely that there was no threat arising to public safety arising from the conduct of Sir Benjamin himself.”

Evans agreed “as a mark of my regret” to pay Sir Benjamin compensation and his legal costs.

In a statement on its website Sedgmoor Distict Council said: “The council accepts that it should not have published the allegations and it also apologises to Sir Benjamin for the distress and damage to his reputation that have been caused as a result of the publication of the allegations on the council's website.

“We have agreed to pay compensation to Sir Benjamin and to pay his legal costs attributable to the damage caused by the council's actions.”

It is understood that the sum the council is to pay has not been finalised.

Sir Benjamin Slade was advised by leading libel law firm Carter Ruck.