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Former BBC and GB Information presenter Andrew Neil has launched defamation proceedings in opposition to Jennifer Arcuri, the American businesswoman who claims she had a four-year affair with Boris Johnson, following a spat on Twitter.
Courtroom data present Mr Neil, 72, filed a declare in opposition to Ms Arcuri on Wednesday as he adopted by on threatened authorized motion following a heated alternate in December wherein Ms Arcuri made allegations about his identify being in an deal with ebook owned by the convicted youngster intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Within the row, which is known to have began over a disagreement concerning the effectiveness of Covid vaccines, Ms Arcuri finally accused Mr Neil of being a “paid for pharma puppet” and “on the pedo elite prepare”, based on now-deleted tweets.
Mr Neil, who’s now set to host a politics programme for Channel 4, mentioned Ms Arcuri’s feedback had been “evil lies” and “vile and unfaithful accusations”. He has mentioned he by no means met Epstein and mentioned his contact particulars had been solely within the notorious “black ebook” as a result of he had beforehand met Ghislaine Maxwell – lately convicted of intercourse trafficking underage ladies for Epstein – in New York throughout the Nineteen Nineties.
Replying to Ms Arcuri’s publish, on 6 December final 12 months, Mr Neil requested the American to “please DM your deal with/contact particulars so my legal professionals can serve authorized papers in opposition to you for this clear libel and defamation”.
He added: “I’ve instructed the papers to be drawn up now. All these tweeting assist for and spreading her tweet will even be served.”
In one other he mentioned his authorized workforce “has ready a large case in opposition to you and we’ll be searching for exemplary damages”, including papers can be served in each the UK and US.
Ms Arcuri responded by saying: “Is somebody scared? Let’s speak about what you’ve revealed about me…”
The mother-of-one, who lives in California, is listed as a litigant in individual on the court docket filings, the PA information company experiences, suggesting she doesn’t at present have a authorized consultant.
Ms Arcuri shot to prominence in March final 12 months after claiming she had an affair with Mr Johnson when he was the mayor of London – prompting outcry into the choice to award her start-up enterprise tens of 1000’s of kilos in public cash.
It was introduced in Might that Mr Johnson wouldn’t face a legal investigation over the matter because of an absence of proof.
The Unbiased Workplace for Police Conduct mentioned in its report that there was “some proof” the pair had an “intimate relationship”, however nothing to recommend the then mayor had influenced funds to Ms Arcuri or her firms. He has all the time denied any wrongdoing.
Each Mr Neil and Ms Arcuri have been contacted for remark.
Further reporting by PA
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