Tweeters May Be Sued Over Jordan Rape Name

Damien Pearse, Sky News Online
Hundreds of Twitter users risk being sued for libel after speculating about the name of Katie Price's alleged rapist, lawyers have said.
Katie Price has refused to publicly name the man she says raped her

The social networking website has exploded with claims about the identity of the alleged culprit.

Price herself has refused to name him publicly but said in a recent magazine column that it was a "famous celebrity".

Police have contacted the 31-year-old model but have yet to receive an official complaint.

They have arranged to carry out a full interview with Price about the allegations in the near future.

Twitter is awash with speculation about the name of the alleged culprit, with hundreds of posts naming the same person.

He would have to act quickly though. Given the lightning speed of Twitter, he may already be too late as the minute one tweet is removed, another one inevitably follows.

Media law expert Ashley Hurst

Lawyers have warned that anyone naming the celebrity could potentially be sued.

Essentially, defamation means publicly making an allegation about someone which is not only untrue but is likely to damage their reputation.

Media law expert Ashley Hurst, of Olswang law firm, said: "An allegation of rape is very serious and highly defamatory.

"If the allegation is untrue, the accused could potentially sue anyone who publishes or repeats the allegation, including any individuals who have tweeted the allegation.

"And the damages could run into thousands of pounds."

He continued: "Twitter and other social networking websites may also be potentially liable although they will have a defence if they respond quickly to a take-down request."
Mr Hurst said that the celebrity in question might also be able to serve an injunction on the networking sites.

But he added: "He would have to act quickly though. Given the lightning speed of Twitter, he may already be too late as the minute one tweet is removed, another one inevitably follows."

A Surrey Police spokeswoman said Price had been contacted but had not been spoken to "in depth".

She said: "No report of rape has been made to Surrey Police. Officers have spoken to her. Officers will be following lines of inquiry into this offence."