Saints chairman wins libel battle

SOUTHAMPTON chairman Rupert Lowe won £250,000 (€367,000) libel damages over a newspaper claim he behaved “shabbily” in suspending manager Dave Jones in the wake of child abuse allegations.

It took a jury three hours to reach its unanimous verdict after an eight-day case before Justice Eady in London.

In December 2000, Jones stood trial on 21 charges of sexual and physical abuse of children. Four days into the trial, it was stopped, the judge directed an acquittal, and Jones - who had always maintained his innocence - walked free.