Gerry Adams wins defamation case against BBC

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Gerry Adams, former leader of Ireland’s Sinn Féin party, has won a high-profile defamation lawsuit against the BBC at the High Court in Dublin after arguing the broadcaster had tarnished his reputation as a peacemaker.

The jury in the month-long case on Friday awarded Adams, 76, €100,000 in damages from the British broadcaster.

The case centred on allegations made by an unnamed source that were aired in a 2016 documentary and accompanying online article alleging that Adams sanctioned the murder of Denis Donaldson, a British agent, in 2006.

Adams had sought damages of €200,000 and denied all involvement.

The BBC argued that it was not endorsing the allegations, but that their inclusion was fair and reasonable reporting on a matter of public interest.