Rooney nets €145,000 damages over slap claims

MANCHESTER United and England footballer Wayne Rooney yesterday accepted £100,000 (€145,000) damages from the publishers of The Sun and the News of the World after the two newspapers falsely alleged he slapped his fiancee, Coleen McLoughlin.

Ronald Thwaites QC, for Rooney, told the court in Britain that The Sun had published a front page article on April 12, 2005, with the headline “Crazed Rooney Thumps Coleen”. The article continued on pages four and five with the headline “You Brute”, he said.

“It alleged that he slapped her across the face, that he lashed out, that he was sniping at Coleen, that Coleen fled the nightclub, that he was calmed down and restrained by team mates.”

On April 17, the News of the World published another article under the headline “Rooney: The Truth”, he said.

It alleged he had been guilty of a “violent and nasty assault” on Ms McLoughlin by slapping her across the face, punching her in the ribs and screaming “f*** off home”, he said.

Mr Thwaites said: “The allegations were and are completely false and indefensible. The defendant got it wrong.

“The claimant and his fiance Coleen McLoughlin were devastated by the publication of these false allegations.”

They had suffered “enormous embarrassment and distress” as a result, he said.

“The defendant now accepts that the allegations are completely false, that there is no foundation for them whatsoever and the article ought never to have been published at all.”

Prominent apologies will be published in both The Sun and The News of the World, the court heard.

The publishers undertook not to repeat the allegations and to pay damages and the player’s legal costs.

John Kelsey-Fry QC, for News Group Newspapers Ltd, told the court: “The defendant, through me, sincerely apologises for the distress and embarrassment caused by the defamatory articles, which it fully accepts were false.”

Rooney and Ms McLoughlin were not present at yesterday’s hearing in front of Mr Justice Eady.

Afterwards, the player’s solicitors, Schillings, said he intended to donate the damages to charity.

The damages reflected “the gravity of the libels”, they said.

In a statement the newspapers said: “With only 58 days to the start of the World Cup, The Sun and The News of The World are pleased to have reached a settlement with Wayne Rooney.

“We can now put this case behind us and focus on a great tournament.

“We wish him and the England team every success in Germany and look forward to welcoming them back with the World Cup trophy.”