High Court makes no order for costs in defamation case

The High Court has made no order as to who should bear the legal costs of the defamation and privacy action taken by the partner of Twink's ex-husband against the Sunday World.

Ruth Hickey, aged 36, of Castaheany in Dublin 15 lost the action she took over material the paper published after she registered her son's birth in May 2006

The president of the High Court said he felt compelled to state that the Sunday World articles that appeared about Ms Hickey represented the lowest standards of journalism imaginable.

Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns said it was a regrettable fact of life that such material sells newspapers.

He was referring to two articles that appeared in the paper after Ms Hickey, her son and David Agnew, were photographed leaving the births registery office in May 2006.

Ms Hickey claimed the repetition by the newspaper of words used in a voicemail message and in a scrapped interview by Twink meant she was a prostitute.

Mr Justice Kearns however rejected her claims of defamation and breach of privacy.

He said the photos did not disclose anything that could not have been seen by anyone else who turned up at the registry office at the relevant time

He also commented that the issue of privacy versus freedom of expression should be a matter for new legislation.

Today Justice Kearns made no order as to the legal costs of the case, having heard how both sides had reached an accommodation in the matter.