Northern Ireland comedian John McBlain and his brother David were awarded damages in the High Court, Belfast, yesterday in settlement of a libel action.
The Sunday Times apologised to the brothers for what was described as a case of mistaken identity in an article about the film The Boxer.
The court heard the article stated that David McBlain, an actor in the film, was a founder member of the UDA who broke with his former colleagues and became an RUC Special Branch informer.
But the article wrongly identified the actor as the brother of John McBlain. "He does have a brother David but he is not the actor in the film and has absolutely no connection with the UDA or the RUC Special Branch," the apology stated.
David McBlain, who works as a law clerk, lives at Lisavon Street, Belfast.
His brother John, a professional comedian, lives at Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast. The amount of damages was not disclosed.