Actor Noel Clarke loses libel case against Guardian publisher over sexual misconduct allegations

Clarke, 49, attempted to sue Guardian News and Media (GNM) over seven articles and a podcast, including an article in April 2021 that said 20 women who knew him professionally had come forward with allegations of misconduct.

The actor, director and producer is best known for his appearance in hit series including Brotherhood, Star Trek Into Darkness and Doctor Who.

Clarke denied the allegations against him, while GNM defended its reporting as being both true and in the public interest.

Mrs Justice Steyn handed down the ruling has been hailed as “deserved victory for those women who suffered”.

Guardian editor-in-chief Katharine Viner said in a statement: “This judgment is a deserved victory for those women who suffered because of the behaviour of Noel Clarke."

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“Going to court is difficult and stressful, yet more than 20 women agreed to testify in the High Court, refusing to be bullied or intimidated.”

She added that it is also a landmark judgment for investigative journalism in Britain. It was important to fight this case.

“I hope today will give encouragement to other women in similar situations who have been too fearful to raise their voices for fear of the consequences,” she added.

A trial earlier this year heard from multiple witnesses who made accusations against Clarke, including that he had allegedly shared nude photographs of them without their consent, groped them, and asked them to look at him when he was exposed.

Barristers for Clarke told the court that there is a conspiracy of people with financial and personal grudges against him who engineered his downfall because they could not bear to see him receive a Bafta award.

The trial of the libel claim was held from early March to early April at the Royal Courts of Justice in London.

Clarke, who has previously appeared in TV shows including Doctor Who, Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and Bulletproof, gave evidence over several days.

At one stage, he appeared visibly emotional as he claimed the publisher had “smashed my life”.

He said: “They have smashed my life for four years with this rubbish, this nonsense. Four years.”

He continued: “I did not do this, I would not do this. I have got children. This is not true.”

He later said that while he was “a flawed guy”, he added: “The reason I stand here four years later is I am not what they have branded me.”

Philip Williams, representing the actor, said that his client was a “casualty” of a media “purge” following the emergence of the MeToo movement.

He continued that Clarke was made a “scapegoat” and was an “easy target” because he was at the height of his success when the media industry “zealously sought to correct itself”.

The barrister also criticised the Guardian’s investigation, saying the newspaper “manifestly failed to do its job properly”.Mr Williams asked the court to find the claim successful, saying the Guardian’s reporting has caused serious harm to Clarke’s career, with “continuing hostile reactions online and in public discourse”.

Gavin Millar KC, for GNM, said there is “not a shred of evidence” to support Clarke’s claim of a conspiracy, describing it as “nonsensical and rather desperate speculation”.

He said Clarke has a “very clear motive to lie” because he “stands to lose a great deal”.

In written submissions, Mr Millar said Clarke “used his power to prey on and harass female colleagues” over a period of 15 years.

He said: “This was a careful and thorough investigation conducted conscientiously by Guardian journalists who were aware of the potential pitfalls.

“They received information from a wide range of sources with direct evidence of misconduct and in each case carefully considered and tested the information they were given, electing to publish only such information as they believed was credible.”