Action begins over Nob Nation sketch

AN 84-year-old guesthouse owner has begun a High Court libel action for damages against RTÉ over a Gerry Ryan “Nob Nation” sketch which said his former hotel the Maryland was a “byword in Waterford for prostitution”.

Vincent O’Toole, of Maryland House, the Mall, Waterford, successfully sued the Sunday World for the same libel in February 2007 and secured €50,000 in damages.

The current defamatory comments went out on the Gerry Ryan show on August 28, 2008, and concerned the following words: “She’s like one of the ones down in Maryland... The Maryland is a byword in Waterford for prostitution although the original establishment from whence the terms is derived has ceased business... If you’re going down there, beware of the shams... beware of undesirables.”

It is alleged the words suggested he was a brothel keeper and engaged in prostitution and that his home was the haunt of undesirables and that he was or is involved in racketeering.

The Nob Nation sketch was played to the jury.

The court heard Mr O’Toole was owner of the Maryland Hotel, which traded as a hotel until 10 years ago. Since then it had operated as a guesthouse.

The court heard that in the weeks and months since the broadcast Mr O’Toole had people turning up at his guesthouse looking for women and last week a tourist turned up expecting to arrive at a brothel.

Mr O’Toole said his wife had been abused and he had been abused and they had to go to the Garda concerning these incidents.

Referring to a suggestion that he should have changed the name of his premises Mr O Toole said it was “a disgrace to change your name. RTÉ should change it first”.

Mr O’Toole told the court that he was thunderstruck by the broadcast on Nob Nation and could not understand why anybody could sink to such a low level along with repeating it three times on news bulletins.

The hearing continues