Mrs Justice Steyn, in her judgment, determined that the Guardian had successfully established both defences of truth and public interest. She found that the allegations against Clarke, involving claims of non-consensual touching, sharing of explicit images without consent, indecent exposure and unwanted sexual advances, were “substantially true”.

The court relied on testimony from nearly thirty individuals, including over twenty who had directly or indirectly accused Clarke of inappropriate conduct. Eighteen witnesses gave evidence in court, describing incidents from over the years. Clarke consistently denied any wrongdoing and claimed that he had been defamed and unfairly targeted, alleging a conspiracy aimed at destroying his career.

However, Mrs Justice Steyn rejected these conspiracy claims as “inherently implausible”, noting that Clarke was “not a credible or reliable witness”. She said his theory of a coordinated effort against him lacked “any proper foundation” and that “there has been no conspiracy to lie”.

Guardian editor-in-chief Katharine Viner described the ruling as “a landmark judgment” and “a deserved victory for those women who suffered because of the behaviour of Noel Clarke”. She praised the defenders of the story, saying:

“This was a deeply-researched investigation by some of The Guardian’s best reporters, who worked diligently and responsibly. The judgment is clear that our investigation was thorough and fair, a template for public interest journalism.”

The repercussions of the reporting were swift: following the original publication in 2021, BAFTA suspended Clarke’s award and membership, and ITV pulled the final episode of his drama Viewpoint.