Gerry Adams has been awarded €100,000 (£84,000) in damages after winning a libel case against the BBC in Dublin’s High Court.
The former Sinn Féin president sued over a 2016 episode of BBC Northern Ireland’s Spotlight programme and an accompanying article published on the BBC News NI website. Both featured an anonymous source who claimed Mr Adams had approved the 2006 murder of Denis Donaldson, a former British agent and senior Sinn Féin figure.
Mr Adams, now 76, has consistently denied any involvement in Donaldson’s death.
After nearly seven hours of deliberation, the 11-member jury found that both the broadcast and article conveyed the defamatory meaning that Mr Adams had sanctioned the killing. The jury also ruled that the BBC had not acted in good faith when reporting the allegations and awarded Mr Adams €100,000 in damages.
The trial lasted five weeks and involved extensive testimony from ten witnesses, including Mr Adams and journalist Jennifer O'Leary. Mr Justice Alexander Owens, who presided over the case, instructed the jury to consider Mr Adams’ current and recent reputation when determining damages.
BBC's Costly Legal Battle
The case is believed to have cost the BBC between €3 million and €5 million (£2.5m–£4.2m), making it one of the broadcaster’s most expensive legal battles. The courtroom was often filled with legal teams comprising up to 14 solicitors and barristers, including Paul Gallagher, a former Irish Attorney General and one of Ireland’s highest-paid lawyers.
While the BBC defended its reporting as fair and in the public interest, the jury ultimately rejected this defence.
The trial has reignited discussion around defamation law reform in Ireland, where jury trials are still standard in such cases. A proposed overhaul includes removing juries from High Court defamation cases—already the norm in Northern Ireland since 2022. Photo by Flickr user Miss Fitz, Wikimedia commons.
