The Sunday World newspaper has apologised at the High Court to a Dublin man about whom it carried a number of articles in 1996 and 1997. The newspaper said the man is to receive "substantive" damages.
The apology to Mr Martin Hyland was contained in a statement read by Mr John Trainor SC, for Sunday Newspapers, Rathfarnham Road, Dublin.
Mr Hyland, of Cabra, Dublin, had brought an action seeking damages for alleged libel arising out of articles about him published in the Sunday World editions of November 17th, 1996, and March 16th, 1997.
The statement read to the court acknowledged that the articles had alleged that Mr Hyland was guilty of very serious crimes. "The Sunday World now acknowledges that these allegations were absolutely false," it said.
After the reading of the statement, Mr Garrett Cooney SC, for Mr Hyland, said the case before the court could be struck out.