Former garda settles action against Channel Islands newspaper

A former garda has settled an action for defamation he brought against a newspaper on the Channel Islands, the High Court in Dublin heard on Thursday.

Denis O'Sullivan, who is now a businessman with an address at Merrion Square in Dublin, sued Kevin Delaney, editor of the Sark Newspaper, a community-based newsletter-style publication, over comments about him, both in print and online, in the year following January 2015.

At the time, Mr O’Sullivan was working on Sark on behalf of the businessman Paddy McKillen.

The Irish developer was then in dispute with the Barclay Brothers, the British businessmen and residents of the neighbouring Channel Island of Brechou.

In January 2016, the High Court gave Mr O’Sullivan leave to take a case after Mr Delaney and the newspaper disputed whether the Irish courts had any jurisdiction.

When the case finally came to court on Thursday, lawyers for Mr Delaney told Mr Justice Charles Meenan the matter had been settled to the satisfaction of both parties and on terms that were confidential.

It is believed the settlement included the payment of damages but the amount was not disclosed in court.