Actor Laurence Fox has been unsuccessful in defending his position at the High Court following the filing of a libel claim made against him.
Known now for his controversial opinions and comments rather than his acting ability, Fox made the comments on the social media platform X (formally Twitter). The comments were made in a discussion with former Stonewall trustee Simon Blake and drag artist Crystal about the supermarket Sansbury’s decision to mark Black History Month. Fox referred to the two people as ‘paedophiles’ in the exchange.
The two victims expressed their concern within their evidence with Mr Blake saying that the suggestion that gay men are paedophiles is “a trope as old as the hills”. Crystal, whose real name is Colin Seymour detailed that he received “overwhelming and distressing” abuse after Mr Fox’s tweet.
The claim was filed for libel, relating to a defamatory statement made in writing.
The Court considered both sides, and ruled that the comments made by Fox were “harmful, defamatory and baseless”. The claim for Libel was therefore upheld.
In response to the claim, Fox counter-sued Mr Blake and Mr Seymour, as well as broadcaster Nicola Thump, in respect of tweets accusing him of racism.
His claim was that their accusation of racism should also be considered libellous.
The Judge dismissed this counterclaim on the basis that the three tweets referred to were unlikely to cause serious harm to his reputation.
Following the ruling, Fox has indicated that he will seek to appeal the counterclaim judgment.
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