Court confirms €5,825 libel damages in Louis Galea case
The Court of Appeal yesterday confirmed an award of libel damages against journalist Glenn Bedingfield.
In October 2007 the First Hall of the Civil Court had found in favour of former government minister Louis Galea and had ruled that he had been libelled by Mr Bedingfield in a book entitled Il-Ħbieb tal-Ħbieb (friends of friends). The court ordered Mr Bedingfield to pay €5,825 in damages.
Mr Bedingfield then appealed to the Court of Appeal composed of Chief Justice Vincent De Gaetano, Mr Justice Albert J. Magri and Mr Justice Tonio Mallia.
On appeal the court noted that the book was based on extracts from the diary of a certain Ciro Del Negro in which he spoke of an agreement on drug trafficking which was reached in an office in Mosta used by former minister Lawrence Gatt among others.
Mr Bedingfield said in his book that among the people mentioned by Mr Del Negro in his diary were Dr Galea and his brother Joe.
The Court of Appeal declared that Mr Bedingfield had created a fantasy story from a note inserted by Mr Del Negro in his diary that he had seen or spoken to "Joe Galea fratello di Louis" (Joe Galea brother of Louis).
The reference to Dr Galea was, said the court, a point of reference to identify Joe Galea. Mr Bedingfield wished to implicate Dr Galea in a story of drug trafficking.
The court said Mr Bedingfield had deliberately implied that Dr Galea was involved with Mr Del Negro and with the persons mentioned by him.
Libel could exist even through innuendo, said the court.
In conclusion the Court of Appeal confirmed the libel judgment and the award of damages.
In a statement yesterday, the Nationalist Party said the decision against Mr Bedingfield, now head of news within Labour's media machine, was clear proof of their mud-slinging strategy.
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c. camilleri
Jan 9th 2010, 20:06
At Michael Sychell Every one who lived at that time of mass discrimination knew whether the son of E.F. Adami was discriminated against or not. All families of nationalist background had experience some form of discrimination practiced at that time by the now new champions of democracy. The outcome of the court did nothing to erase the facts. Pity that Eddie was gentleman enough to renounce the case because of his new appointment as President.
Jeremy J Camilleri
Jan 9th 2010, 19:10
I didn't know nationalists believed in honourable resignations!!!! Interesting!
P. Schembri
Jan 9th 2010, 18:56
But till now, no one has yet broke the rekord of the PN Niggieza. The editor ending up in prison for slander Dr. Joe Cassar personally. Now that's a shame that makes any PN member hang his head down in shame!
Andrew Cumbo
Jan 9th 2010, 18:17
Glenn Bedingfeild shall resign? What about the Hon. Minister Tonio Fenech after the travelling scandal and the VAT case? What about the Hon. Minister Austin Gatt after the tendering of the new extension for power station? What about Hon. Minister Giovanna Debono after found that one of her employees issued false certificates?
Dear all these are MINISTERS not journalists.
Michael Seychell
Jan 9th 2010, 17:54
Re Dr. Fenech Adami's son - As far as I remember there was more than one selecting committee/s at the time in question, and Dr. Feneck Adami's mistake was in naming the wrong chairman, His mistake was made whilst talking during a heated dfebate. It was and still is a fact that Dr.EFA's son was discriminated by the one of Chairman of a select committee at the University, during the Labour Regime.
GLEN CREATED a story to implicate Dr. Galea and this was was not a mistake, but as the appeal sentence said, "Mr Beddingfield had deliberately implied that Dr Galea was involved with Mr Del Negro and with the persons mentioned by him:" In this case GLENN was not TALKING during A HEATED DEBATE IN PU BLIC, but was on his 'typewriter' writing a book and had all the time in the world to check the DIARY, but as the Judges said, GLENN DELIBERATELY wanted to implicate Dr. Galea!
There is an ocean of difference between Talking and Writing, and both GLENN and his LEADER should HIDE in SHAME.
Michael Seychell
Tal-Pieta
Salvu Felice Pace
Jan 9th 2010, 16:47
The words used by the Appeal Court should lead Mr Bedingfield to resign from public office. To concoct a story involving drugs is no ordinary libel, which many politicians/journalists of diverse colours are normally involved in. Joseph Muscat must make a choice and make it soon. He has been deficient on diffuclt choices such as the question of his political party using private and govt. properties. We shall wait and see.
H Farrugia
Jan 9th 2010, 15:47
Glenn Bedingfield should resign and if Joseph muscat does not condemn him then he is guilty just as him. Joseph muscat was a colleague of Glenn bedingfield at the time but was writing another book about 'l-Iskandlu ta Chambrai' another mud-slinging book built on fantasy!
Jeremy J Camilleri
Jan 9th 2010, 13:23
A Zahra ..The post of Prime Minister does entail a rather higher responsability then that of journalist......
Of course, I doubt whether anyone around would ever believe the fact that Fenech Adami was so naive...to be told a story in a car on his way to a debate, and then to believe that story and use it in the same debate....
Now if he was truly such a gentleman, he would have apologised way before the case went to court.
On the other hand, you made no mention of cases were Nationalist media journalists lost libel cases...I wonder why?
A. Zahra
Jan 9th 2010, 13:06
The difference between Bedingfield's slander and Dr. Fenech-Adami's incident lies in the fact that Bedingfield deliberately took the trouble to concoct a story to slander a political opponent. On the other hand Dr. Fenech-Adami was unfortunately misinformed. As he was being driven to the TV studio to take part in a debate with Alfred Sant by the chairman of a government corporation, Dr. Fenech-Adami was mistakenly told that Dr. Sant had sat on the selection board selecting students to be admitted into the university when his son was kept out of the university. In the heat of the debate Dr. Fenech-Adami used that information in good faith. Naturally when it transpired that the gentleman had misinformed Dr. Fenech Adami on this matter he was removed from his chairmanship. Such is the origin of that incident.
A gentleman of the standing of Dr. Fenech-Adami would never stoop to the level Bedingfield relishes in stooping to.
Jeremy J Camilleri
Jan 9th 2010, 12:09
A Zammit....Did you condemn Fenech Adami for libelling Alfred Sant?
On my part, I have no problem in condemning any slander...be it from SUper One Journalists, Net journalists, politicians, or anyone else for that matter..
A Zammit
Jan 9th 2010, 11:54
Tal-misthija ta' imbasta ihammguh bniedem!
Issa nittama li Dr Muscat jikkundanna lil Glenn Bedingfield talli sallab bniedem ghal dawn is-snin kollha u tefa dell ikrah fuqu u nittama li Glenn Bedingfield ikollu d-dicenza u jirrizenja minn head of news ta' One News