Kelvin McFilth Bullies Gazza

The mood of concern at the level of damages awarded to those shown to have been systematically hacked by the Mirror titles has already been seen in comments by Daily Mail pundits. Now, former Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie, who knows a thing or two about being up before the courts and being prevailed upon to pay damages, has joined in with a supremely mean-spirited attack on former footballer Paul Gascoigne.

“£188,000? Gascoigne the wife-beater not worth £1.88” thunders the headline, as Kel claims erroneously that Gazza has in the past been “a flogger of his stories of woe to the popular press”. And, as Jon Stewart might have said, two things here. One, there is a difference between volunteering your story, and knowing the press would otherwise make it up anyway. And two, it does not justify the hacking. Especially if the Sun did it too.

Kel pauses only to call Mr Justice Mann “certifiably barmy” (mental health smears the usual trusty standby in the absence of facts) before urging readers to “look over there” at statutory awards for injury and then claiming “The Daily Mirror [it wasn’t just the Daily Mirror, Kel] must appeal as they will definitely see substantial reductions - hopefully to nothing in Gascoigne’s case”. Yeah, right. And then it is on to the judge.

MacKenzie is clearly horrified that there is so little public information available on Mr Justice Mann that he cannot dredge up any dirt on him (“Was he a family man? Won’t say. Was he married? Won’t say”). For Kel, it’s all about finding someone to smear, and that means ignoring Gascoigne having been systematically hacked for scores of times - which has contributed to the £188,000 award.

And Kel is the last person to be giving out advice on damages, as anyone who remembers his libelling of Elton John at the Sun (cost in damages: £1 million) will remember: “I think The Sun should have its million quid back. It hasn't damaged him at all, has it? Libel can only have a value if there has been some kind of damage, right? Where is the damage? Where? There's nothing wrong with him. So no, I don't feel bad about him, not at all”.

There’s expertise for you. And, as to the reliability of this attack on Gazza, readers should remember Kel’s other gems, for instance “Give me a Sunday for Monday splash on the Royals. Don't worry if it's not true - so long as there's not too much of a fuss about it afterwards” and justifying printing lies with “When I published those stories, they were not lies. They were great stories that later turned out to be untrue - and that is different. What am I supposed to feel ashamed about?” What indeed.

Kelvin McFilth clearly still has the same tenuous grip on reality that he increasingly exhibited at the Sun, and which ultimately led to his smearing Liverpool fans over the Hillsborough stadium disaster. He is unable to understand that Gazza’s life was turned upside down by the hacking and other intrusion. So he just smears him instead.

The result is cruel, thuggish and bullying. So no change over the years, then.