insiderblmNorthern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster has been awarded £125,000 in damages after a defamatory tweet by TV presenter Dr Christian Jessen.
Dr Jessen tweeted an unfounded allegation that Mrs Foster had been having an extra-marital affair on 23 December 2019.
The post remained online until Dr Jessen deleted it on 7 January 2020.
A judge at the High Court in Belfast said it was an “outrageous libel” which was “grossly defamatory”.
He said the tweet to Dr Jessen’s 300,000 followers had attacked Mrs Foster’s “integrity at a most fundamental level” and involved the “trashing in a very public fashion” the relationship which was most important in her life.
He told the court the tweet had affected core aspects of Mrs Foster’s life and had called into question her suitability to hold the office of first minister at a time when delicate negotiations were continuing on the re-establishment of the Stormont executive following three years of deadlock.
DUP revolt
Mrs Foster’s tenure as DUP leader will end on Friday. She remains as first minister until the end of June.
She announced her decision to resign in April after facing a revolt from DUP members.
She had led the party since December 2015 and was appointed first minister of Northern Ireland the following month.
BBC News NI understands that she will sever her ties with the DUP when she stands down as first minister.
