Twink's ex-husband's partner loses defamation action
The partner of pantomime star Twink’s ex-husband has lost a defamation action against the Sunday World.
Ruth Hickey sued the newspaper over articles and photographs published about her in May and August 2006.
In her action, Ruth Hickey claimed she had been portrayed as a prostitute by the newspaper that reported on the now notorious phone rant left by Adele King, or Twink, on her ex-husband David Agnew’s phone.
Ms Hickey also claimed the publication of photographs of her and her baby Jesse leaving the Registry of Births was a breach of privacy.
High Court President Nicholas Kearns noted that the pictures were taken in a public place. He also found that Ruth Hickey had actively sought publicity from the press about her partnership with David Agnew and the birth of their child.
However, he said the material that was published "was the lowest form of journalism imaginable" and that it was a "regrettable fact of life that such material sells newspapers".
