Eight newspapers pay damages to Chris Jefferies

Chris Jefferies, the landlord of Joanna Yeates, today accepted "substantial" undisclosed libel damages from eight newspapers in the High Court for allegations made following her murder.

Press Gazette reports via PA : "The retired schoolmaster was not at London's High Court for the settlement of his actions against the publishers of 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 Mr Justice Tugendhat that "in recognition of the immense distress and damage" caused, they had all agreed to apologise for the "seriously defamatory" allegations made in the wake of the landscape architect's December 2010 death and pay substantial damages.

Charalambous, of Simons Muirhead & Burton, said the newspapers had acknowledged the falsity of the allegations in question which were contained in over 40 articles published in late December 2010 and early January 2011.

Speaking outside court, he added: "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."

• Mirror Group Newspapers and News Group found guilty of contempt over Jefferies' coverage Publishers of the Daily Mirror fined £50k and The Sun £18k for contempt and ordered to pay costs.

Sportsman wins appeal against media naming him

A sportsman who obtained an order stopping the media publishing information about his private life today won an appeal against a ruling which would reveal his identity, Press Gazette reports.

The man, referred to in court as JIH, asked a panel of three judges headed by the Master of the Rolls, Lord Neuberger, to reverse an earlier ruling by High Court judge Justice Tugendhat.

Lord Neuberger said the sportsman had been in a long-term relationship with another person, referred to as XX. "Since his relationship with XX had started, but before August 2010, a story had been published, without JIH having received any prior notice, suggesting that he had a sexual liaison with another person, who I shall call YY."

"The story whose publication JIH is seeking to prevent concerns an alleged sexual encounter he had with a different person, to whom I shall refer as ZZ, last year."

When JIH discovered that News Group Newspapers intended to publish a story based on information provided by ZZ, he began the present proceedings without revealing his identity.

He also sought an order preventing publication of any information about an alleged sexual relationship with ZZ during his relationship with XX which was served on seven other media companies.

When the matter came before Justice Tugendhat he decided that he was not prepared to make the order, even though NGN had accepted it, without hearing argument.

Lord Neuberger said in the appeal court ruling: "If the media could publish the name of the claimant and the substance of the information which he is seeking to exclude from the public domain, then the whole purpose of the injunction would be undermined, and the claimant's private life many be unlawfully exposed."

He added: "If we permitted JIH's identity to be revealed without permitting the nature of the information of which he is seeking to restrain to be published, then it would nonetheless be relatively easy for the media and members of the public to deduce the nature of that information; it would be a classic, if not very difficult, jigsaw exercise."

Julian Assange freed on bail at High Court

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was today freed on bail after being granted conditional bail by a judge sitting in the High Court in London.

Outside the court he said: "It's great to smell the fresh air of London again. Thanks to all the people around the world who've had faith in me."

He said he hoped to continue his work and protest his innocence.

Mr Justice Ouseley turned down an appeal by prosectors against the decision to grant the WikiLeaks founder bail at an earlier hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court.

Assange is fighting extradition to Sweden over sex charges involving two women. He denies the allegations.

His supporters have offered to put up a surety of £240,000 to guarantee he surrenders to bail.

The judge made a ruling banning the use of Twitter during the court hearing.