November 22nd 2023.
Laurence Fox was seen arriving at the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Wednesday for the start of his libel trial. Accompanying him was a mysterious woman, with whom he held hands as they entered the building.
The legal dispute is linked to Fox's argument with three stars in the public eye on Twitter back in October 2020. Fox, who was fired from his position at GB News in October, had called Simon Blake, Coronation Street actress Nicola Thorp, and Drag Race UK star Crystal ‘paedophiles’. He is being sued by all three figures, and is also counter-suing them over their tweets which accused him of racism after he spoke out against Sainsbury's decision to celebrate Black History Month.
In April 2022, Fox’s legal team asked for his case to be decided by a jury, claiming that a judge would not be able to reach a fair verdict. Alexandra Marzec, Fox’s barrister, argued that a jury would be more capable of forming an opinion ‘in light of the cultural and social context’ of the case. She added that a diverse jury would make it impossible for the decision to be undermined due to the fact that the judge was white.
Fox had addressed his tweets in an episode of Jeremy Vine, where he stated: “Was it my finest hour? No.” He further expressed his regret, saying that he would choose his words more carefully in the future and wanted to be the best ally he could to people impacted by racism.
The trial is expected to last a week and Fox is likely to give evidence. Mr Justice Nicklin denied Fox’s request for jury trial, and said that he has not been convinced that a judge trying the case alone would suffer from ‘involuntary bias’.
This is not the first time Fox has been in the spotlight. In March 2021, his ex-wife Billie Piper revealed that she was ‘humiliated’ by his ‘betrayal’. Fox was also recently asked by Carol Vorderman if she would ‘sh*g’ him, to which she appeared to show her disgust. It remains to be seen how this case will end, but it is sure to grab the attention of many.
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