LIBEL ALLEGED

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIX, Issue 305, 11 December 1929, Page 4

LIBEL ALLEGED

CLAIM AGAINST NEWSPAPER. PLAINTIFF AWARDED £lO DAMAGES. Auckland, Dee. 10. Damages of £lO were awarded against “Sun” Newspapers, Ltd., in a libel action in the Supreme Court today. The claim arose out of the publication by the “Sun” on August 3 of an account of a disturbance in Nelson street in which Tomas Leavy was fatally stabbed. Plaintiff, James Anderson Gallot, claimed £2OO. His name was mentioned with the names of other men In an article headed “Fracas During Drinking Bout,” and he claimed that the article was false nnd defamatory and meant that he had been guilty of excessive drinking of intoxicating liquor, and that ho was associated with the person charged with murder. In evidence he said he had no drink in the house mentioned on the night in question. Ono of the men was going to get drink and he supposed he would have had one if the “unfortunate accident” had not happened. Tn giving judgment for £lO Mr Justice Smith said that on a fair reading of the article it did state that Gallott had been engaged in a drinking bout. He was presumed to bo n sober man, and therefore His Honour said be must find that there had been some reflection on Gallon's character. Gallot

clearly had been going to engage in drinking, but whether it would have developed into a bout or not the court could not state.