Woman’s relief after winning libel case over Facebook posts

A woman has spoken of her “huge relief ” after winning a libel battle against her ex-husband over Facebook posts.

Nicola Stocker wrote that Ronald Stocker tried to strangle her, during an online exchange with his new partner in 2012.

She was left facing a legal bill of about £300,000 after Mr Stocker successfully sued her at the High Court for defamation – a decision which was upheld by the Court of Appeal.

But, after she took her case to the Supreme Court, the previous rulings were overturned by a panel of five justices yesterday.

Mrs Stocker, 51, of Longwick, Buckinghamshire, said: “I am just delighted, hugely relieved.

“I think it highlights the danger that the courts are being used by men to continue an abusive process, whether it be in the family courts or through a libel court.if they have got the money to do it, they will. It has been five years of my life that has been hell.”

Mr Stocker, 68, of Aston Clinton, Buckinghamshire, originally won his legal action against his ex-wife at the High Court in London, after Mr Justice Mitting found that those reading the comments would think she meant he had “tried to kill” her.

However, announcing the Supreme Court’s ruling in London, Lord Kerr said the judge made a “legal error” by relying on the dictionary definition of “strangle”.

He said Mr Justice Mitting’s approach “illustrates the danger” of using dictionary definitions as a guide to the meaning of an alleged defamatory statement. Lord Kerr also said the fact the comments were made on Facebook was “critical” and that any assessment of such posts should reflect the conversational nature of the “casual medium”.

He added: “We have concluded that, knowing that Mrs Stocker was alive, an ordinary reader of Facebook would have interpreted those words to mean that Mr Stocker had grasped his wife by the throat and applied force to her neck, rather than that he had tried to kill her.”

During the High Court trial in 2016, the court heard that the allegations were published to 21 individuals who had authorised access to the Facebook profile of Mr Stocker’s new partner, Deborah Bligh.

They were also visible to 110 of Ms Bligh’s “friends” and to their Facebook “friends”.

Lord Kerr said: “It is not disputed that he breached a nonmolestation order. Nor has it been asserted that he did not utter threats to Mrs Stocker. Many would consider these to be sufficient to establish that he was a dangerous and disreputable man.” 0 Nicola Stocker wrote that Ronald Stocker tried to strangle her, during an online exchange with his new partner in 2012