'Sunday World' sued over brothel at hotel slur

An 80-year-old Waterford city hotelier has told the High Court that a newspaper article which suggested he was running a brothel has led to men coming to his hotel looking for prostitutes.

Vincent O'Toole said he was "so conservative that I'm boring" and he had been "appalled" when he read a Sunday World article which he regarded as referring to his 22-bedroom Maryland Hotel at The Mall, Waterford city.

He did not regard the article, published under the headline "Suir You Couldn't Make Out A Word" as "a joke" or "skittish".

The article referred to people in Waterford speaking "a foreign language" and to a website having come up with the "first ever Waterford dictionary" with entries including one describing "maryland, the" as an "infamous small hotel in the red-light district of Waterford city. Colloquial term for a brothel".

Mr O'Toole said the article was not funny but was hurtful, malicious, untrue and ignorant. "I find people in Waterford speak quite well," he said. "I never had anyone speak mumbo-jumbo to me."

Mr O'Toole said his hotel was named both after his wife Mary and after Maryland in the United States, where he had spent some time during his 18-year maritime career with Irish Shipping where he rose to the rank of captain.

He rejected as a "lie" and "verging on madness" any suggestion that "Maryland" was Waterford city slang for a brothel.

He said the hotel had been named Maryland in 1959 and operated initially as a bed and breakfast before becoming a hotel in the 1960s, attracting all sorts of guests including judges and opera-goers. He considered the name Maryland easy to remember.

He was giving evidence in his action alleging defamation in the Sunday World article, published on August 1st, 2004. The case opened yesterday before Ms Justice Elizabeth Dunne and a jury.

Mr O'Toole alleges he was defamed in the article, published in the "City Slicker" column, which stated that a website, www.upthedeise.com, had "come up with the first ever comprehensive Waterford dictionary".

The article went on to state: "some of the entries are fascinating like . . . 'maryland the, an infamous small hotel in the red-light district of Waterford city. Colloquial term for a brothel'."

Mr O'Toole said he could not believe it when he was phoned on August 1st, 2004. He was in bed when the phone rang and he was asked had he read the Sunday World. He said he did not buy that paper and was told his hotel was being called "a whorehouse".

He had spoken to the mayor of Waterford and the editor of the Munster Express, who were friends of his, about the article.

He bought the paper and was "absolutely appalled", he said.

"I couldn't believe my eyes." He had asked his solicitor to take up the matter with the newspaper and his solicitor wrote to it on August 4th. The newspaper had not contacted him prior to the publication of the article.

He said the article had had "an appalling effect". People were laughing and jeering and it "all turned into a rotten business".

He lived in the hotel with his wife and family and men were knocking on the door at night.

Being friendly, he would invite them in and some would eventually ask him were there any "extra favours" and would ask for prostitutes. He would call the gardaí and the men would run.

He said he had called the gardaí "over and over" but they could do nothing about it.

Mr O'Toole said there was no red-light district in Waterford city or in any part of Waterford as far as he was concerned. Some people had booked out of the hotel after a few nights after "hearing whispers that they were staying in a whorehouse", he said.

He regarded letters from the Sunday World after the incident as indicating "concocted counterfeit concern" and as an attempt to "buy him off". He wanted to be fully vindicated.

He was well known in Waterford and around Ireland. He had sought recognition for the composer Vincent Wallace, after whom several prominent buildings in Waterford were now named.

In cross-examination, Eoin McCullough SC, for the newspaper, said there was no suggestion by the newspaper that the Maryland Hotel was a brothel and, in those circumstances, he wanted to know from Mr O'Toole what they were doing in court.

Mr O'Toole said he wanted it understood there was absolutely no truth whatsoever in the brothel allegation.

Mr McCullough said there was no suggestion by the newspaper that Mr O'Toole had anything to do with running a brothel.

Mr O'Toole said he wished to get "this horror out of my life". Without prejudice to such denials, the Sunday World said it had made an offer of amends which was not accepted by Mr O'Toole.

The case continues today.