Northern Ireland

Dana receives six-figure payout and apology from Sunday World

Dana Rosemary Scallon
Dana Rosemary Scallon Dana Rosemary Scallon

DANA Rosemary Scallon has settled a defamation case against Independent News & Media (INM) after the Sunday World published false claims connected to her brother.

John Brown was unanimously acquitted of child sex abuse charges in 2014.

Dana won an apology from INM and a six-figure payout, the second related to the case, after an online report wrongly alleged she had given evidence at her brother's trial about steps taken in relation to him.

"This story was an unjustified horrendous assault on my reputation and all that I stand for," the Derry-born Eurovision winner said outside Dublin's Court of Appeal.

A solicitor for KRW Law in Dublin, which represents the 69-year-old singer, said: "This is the latest in an ongoing series of libel actions for Dana and the second one against INM on the same article published in 2014.

"It has been a long battle for her especially given that she had to go to the court of appeal to achieve this result."

The solicitor said there were related actions pending in both Belfast and Dublin.