A WOMAN has told the High Court that articles published by the Sunday Worldnewspaper about her family meant she was "a whore" and her son was "a bastard".
Ruth Hickey (36) said a headline stating: “Twink’s Ex Shows Off Love Child” meant her child was a bastard when in fact he was “planned and wanted and there was no sordid or disgusting act”.
The newspaper had also reported Twink describing Ms Hickey as a “hoor” and she believed the paper was portraying her as a prostitute when she was not.
Ms Hickey, who is the partner of David Agnew, the former husband of entertainer Twink, Adele King, is a former professional musician and teacher who now works in public relations. She was giving evidence in her action against the Sunday Worldover photos and other material published after she, her son and Mr Agnew were photographed leaving the births, marriages and deaths office in Dublin in May 2006.
She claims the rights of herself and her son to privacy under the Constitution and European Convention on Human Rights had been breached and also claims she was defamed by the use of the word "hoor". The Sunday Worlddenies the claims.
The case is being heard by the president of the High Court, Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns, both sides having agreed the case could proceed before a judge alone.
Ms Hickey told the court yesterday the first of two articles and photographs, published in May 2006, was “cheap and nasty and highly offensive” and meant she was a whore and her son a bastard.
When the second article was published, in August 2006, she could not have contemplated the paper could have taken it so far, particularly as her solicitors had written twice to the newspaper.