Joanna Yeates' Landlord Wins Libel Damages

Joanna Yeates' landlord Chris Jefferies has won "substantial" undisclosed libel damages from eight newspapers over allegations made against him over the landscape architect's death.

Mr Jefferies, a retired school teacher, was not at London's High Court for the settlement of his actions against the Sun, the Daily Mirror, the Sunday Mirror, the Daily Mail, the Daily Record, the Daily Express, the Daily Star and the Scotsman.

His solicitor Louis Charalambous told the court the newspapers had acknowledged the falsity of the allegations in question which were contained in over 40 articles.

Mr Charalambous said Mr Jefferies, 65, had taught English at Clifton College in Bristol for 34 years and was of "good character".

He said many of the articles suggested there were strong grounds to suspect that Mr Jefferies had killed Miss Yeates and several went on to allege he had acted in an inappropriate, over-sexualised manner with his pupils in the past.

Some of the articles suggested he was an associate of a convicted paedophile and there were grounds to investigate whether he was responsible for an unsolved murder from 1974.

Mr Charalambous said the newspapers now acknowledged all the allegations were "entirely untrue".

Lawyers for the newspapers told the judge they very much regretted the distress caused and had agreed to pay Mr Jefferies substantial damages and his legal costs.

Speaking outside court, Mr Charalambous said: "Christopher Jefferies is the latest victim of the regular witch hunts and character assassination conducted by the worst elements of the British tabloid media.

"Many of the stories published in these newspapers are designed to 'monster' the individual, in flagrant disregard for his reputation, privacy and rights to a fair trial.

"These newspapers have now apologised to him and paid substantial damages but they do so knowing that once the conditional fee agreement rules are changed next year victims of tabloid witch hunts will no longer have the same access to justice."

Miss Yeates, 25, was killed on December 17 last year and Mr Jefferies was arrested on December 30 after her body was found near Bristol on Christmas Day.

He was the first suspect to be arrested and was questioned for two days before being released without charge.

Miss Yeates' neighbour, 33-year-old Vincent Tabak, pleaded guilty to her manslaughter in May but denied murder.

His plea was not accepted and he will be tried for murder at Bristol Crown Court in October.