Blogger plans to take libel battle with council to Court of Appeal

In an entry on her blog dated 5 June, Jacqui Thompson said the notice would be filed with the Court of Appeal by 28 June.

The libel case arose out of a response from Carmarthenshire County Council chief executive Mark James to another blog, the madaxeman blog, in 2011. The response sought to address issues raised over Mrs Thompson’s arrest following a council meeting where she tried to film proceedings. 

However, relations between Mrs Thompson and Carmathenshire had been fraught for a number of years.

In March Mr Justice Tugendhat ordered her to pay the damages to Mr James after his counter-claim succeeded.

The judge rejected Mrs Thompson’s libel claim in its entirety and found that she had been engaged in an unlawful campaign of harassment, defamation and intimidation targeted against Mr James and other council officers.

Mrs Thompson wrote this month (5 June): “I believe that this was a miscarriage of justice and remain of the opinion that the judgement has potentially opened the floodgates for similar actions against others who publicly scrutinise and criticise their local authority, including the press.”

She said she did not have the means to pay the £230,000 costs of the case.

“As a further consequence of the serious allegations made in the judgement, my insurance, which would have covered the council's legal costs, has now been revoked,” Mrs Thompson revealed. “This sum is on top of the £25,000 damages awarded to Mr James personally.”

In an entry on Friday (14 June), Mrs Thompson highlighted attempts by Communities Secretary Eric Pickles to pressure the Welsh Government into introducing reforms on council transparency.