The high court’s ruling in favour of the Guardian struck a powerful blow for the free press and for holding those accused of sexual misconduct to account. While across the globe, we have seen the courtroom as the venue of choice to push back against the legacy of the #MeToo movement, this victory sent a clear signal that the voices of those affected have lost none of their power, impact or poignancy.

Noel Clarke is an actor, screenwriter, producer and director who is best known for the Hood trilogy, as well as acting in Doctor Who. In 2022, he sued the Guardian for its reporting based on the testimony of 20 women who accused him of “sexual harassment, unwanted touching or groping, sexually inappropriate behaviour and comments on set, professional misconduct, taking and sharing sexually explicit pictures and videos without consent, and bullying between 2004 and 2019”.

Clarke claimed that the Guardian had defamed him and breached his data protection rights. More than two years later, on 22 August 2025, the high court disagreed, stating that: “The Guardian has succeeded in establishing both truth and public interest defences to the libel claim.” As the data protection claim had been withdrawn, the judge dismissed the claim against the Guardian. Clarke’s defeat was emphatic, but we cannot let that cloud the damage that has already been done.

Embedded within Clarke’s legal action against the Guardian is another threat, one that cannot be overlooked if we value public interest reporting.

Prior to the commencement of the trial, Clarke lodged an amended application to add a

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