Publisher to pay damages to Christopher Jefferies

Christopher Jefferies was wrongfully arrested for the murder of Joanna Yeates in 2010

The publisher of The Sun and the now-defunct News Of The World newspapers has apologised and agreed to pay "substantial damages" to Christopher Jefferies.

The retired schoolteacher and landlord from Bristol was wrongfully arrested for the murder of Joanna Yeates in 2010.

News Group Newspapers (NGN) settled a claim at the High Court after Mr Jefferies took legal action against NGN in 2022 over alleged voicemail interception.

NGN agreed damages but made "no admission of liability in relation to the claimant's allegations of voicemail interception and/or other unlawful information gathering at The Sun", the court was told.

In his claim, Mr Jefferies alleged that NGN published information about his private life between December 2010 and November 2011.

He also alleged that the articles "had a damaging and long-lasting effect on him and his private life, including his standing in the community and to his relationships with some friends", the court heard.

The News Of The World closed in July 2011 following allegations that its journalists had been involved in unlawful gathering of information.

Mariyam Kamil, for NGN, said: "The defendant is here today, through me, to offer its apologies to Mr Jefferies for the distress caused to him by the invasion of his privacy by individuals working for or on behalf of the News Of The World.

"The defendant acknowledges that such activity should never have taken place and that it had no right to intrude into Mr Jefferies's private life in this way."

Mr Jefferies became known to the press after his tenant Ms Yeates disappeared in December 2010 and was later found dead.

He was subsequently arrested and held in custody for three days but ultimately found "to have no connection whatsoever with her murder", the court was told.

Vincent Tabak was found guilty of Ms Yeates' murder in October 2011.