ACTOR Noel Clarke has been ordered to pay at least £3million costs after he lost a libel case over sexual misconduct claims.
Publishers of The Guardian yesterday told the High Court its legal bill was more than £6million, and Clarke should pay at least half.
AlamyDoctor Who star Noel Clarke has been ordered to pay £3m after he lost a libel case over sexual misconduct claims[/caption]
The Doctor Who star, 49, sued Guardian News and Media over reports including claims of harassment and sexually inappropriate behaviour by several women.
A High Court judge last month ruled the reporting to be substantially true.
Yesterday, Mrs Justice Steyn said the Guardian’s costs claim was “appropriate and reasonable”.
Ordering Clarke pay an initial £3million, she said he could expect to pay more than usual due to his conduct during trial.
She said she found him “not a credible or reliable witness” with a “far-fetched, indeed false” case.
The actor said: “I have lost my work, my savings, my legal team, my ability to support my family, and much of my health.
“My wife and children live every day under the shadow of uncertainty. We remortgaged our home just to survive.
“Any costs or interim payments must be proportionate to my means as a single household, not the unlimited resources of a major media conglomerate.
“A crushing order would not just punish me, it would punish my children and wife and they do not deserve that.”
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