Enoch Burke is The Prisoner

You think it’s acceptable for a newspaper to print a load of lies about someone just because you don’t like them?

The apology was several months later.

EB would have been better going the malicious falsehood route, and irrespective shoud have forced the indo to back up their claims of "usual trusted source" and without that could have proved reckless/malice.
Still may not have been able to prove any actuall loss.

This is quite an interesting discussion for me personally...I realise I know next to nothing about the law!

’You must hold up the Law of God (as I see it today)’

To hell with the rest of us, we’re godless heathens that are doomed.

Sorry but this is incorrect. The burden of proof is on the plaintiff to prove malice in relation to the impugned statement for malicious falsehood. It also only relates to untrue statements in relation to the plaintiffs profession. Saying that he was preaching in prison does not affect his profession or trade as a teacher.

Finally, he would have to show special damage caused by the statement, i.e. tangible financial loss.

Defamation was the appropriate route forhim to take despite the statement while being untrue was not defamatory.

Not quite correct either,

There's no point in argueing that defamation was appropriate, as it failed.
I agree on the loss, that may be the stumbling block of malicious falsehood, but it is not exclusively trade and profession. And maybe he could argue that the publication prevented him getting a job/job back…

From Section 42 of defamation act on malicious falsehood:
..the plaintiff shall be required to prove that the statement upon which the action is founded—
(a) was untrue
(b) was published maliciously, and
(c) referred to the plaintiff, his or her property or his or her office, profession, calling, trade or business.

so he's got a and c, and the indo was at minimum reckless as regards b.

I fully agree on Burke being left there till he purges his contempt.
But, I don't think the indo should get away with spouting bs either, even if he doesn't have a reputation.

On c above, it is from the Statute. It only has to refer to the plaintiff…ie him, irrespective of his trade/profession. He still has to prove loss and that may need trade/profession so thats still tricky.

But on b, "trusted source" …on who's say so? sounds reckless to me trusting a source who is proved untrustworthy. What's the evidence that they are to be trusted? And does the trusted source really exist?

that’s what I’m wondering…..

Does Enoch just break and purge his contempt ? The only other way he walks is if a presidential pardon is issued which I doubt very much will transpire. That has to be recommended / requested by politicians….

So he basically there until he breaks…. Almost 9 months in there… I’ve a feeling it’s going to run and run.

I agree that the indo should not be publishing false articles at all whether defamatory or not.

On the truetedsource, the journalist gave evidence that there was a confidential source for the original story. She then verified the story with a second source. Her sources, after publication informed her that the story was not accurate and a correction issued some time after.

The majority of the population do not agree with him. The only people out protesting in his support are the Burkes. Online likes and comments do not count as support when they are not reflected in the real world.
It’s a story that generates clicks so the media follow it. It is an unusual story too. That will always generate interest. Uber religious guy standing at a school gate for months at a time isn’t something you come across every day.
He will never stop trying to attend Wilson’s. Prision is the only place for him. I know it is very unlikely to happen but the only hope he has is if a specialist can break his brainwashing. But 40 odd years of it, surrounded by it and probably indoctrinated the younger members of the family and kept them in line, I don’t hold much hope.

Ironically, if a couple of them moved to the US and campaigned from there they would find themselves very welcome and in demand quite quickly. They could fund this nonsense for ages and drag us into a culture war we're not really ready for.