Lyons sues over radio remarks

FORMER mayor Darryn Lyons, above, is suing Geelong charity Diversitat over on-air comments that likened the former mayor’s nightclubs to “drug dens”.

Mr Lyons has filed a writ to the Supreme Court alleging he was defamed by Diversitat’s community radio station The Pulse and presenter Greg McHenry a year ago.

The writ makes a claim for a payout to cover “damages, interest, costs (and) such other further orders that the court sees fit”.

The Pulse issued a public apology to Mr Lyons for the on-air comments, but the writ notes that Mr McHenry has yet to apologise.

The writ — filed by lawyer Frank Vinci — details on-air comments Mr McHenry made about an earlier encounter he had with Mr Lyons at The Pulse studio.

In those comments Mr McHenry initially mistakenly referred to Mr Lyons as “Daryl” rather than Darryn, then went on to make a number of accusations about the behaviour he allegedly witnessed by the former mayor towards Committee For Geelong chief Rebecca Casson.

Mr McHenry was critical of Mr Lyons’ appearance, and accused him of “bullying” Ms Casson to the point of tears.

The legal action, however, centres on the comment about the nightclubs.

The writ quotes Mr McHenry saying “the places he looks after, his establishments in town, are drug dens that are not right for the community”.

Diversitat, also known as the Geelong Ethnic Communities Council, later apologised and conceded the nightclub “comment was utterly baseless and should not have been made”, while other comments Mr McHenry made were “unfair and unacceptable”.