MR JUSTICE WARBY Approved Judgment Monroe v Hopkins [2017] EWHC 433 (QB) 72. As to the “torrent” point, there is a factual dispute as to whether the claimant in fact suffered “vile and abusive comments” as a result of the tweets complained of. The assertion was made in her solicitors’ correspondence that she had, that this had included death threats, and that this was apparent if one looked online. The defendant’s case is that these claims were false, and that there is “no other evidence of serious harm”. In response, some details have been given in further information. There are some unsatisfactory aspects to Ms Monroe’s evidence on this point. The tweets themselves have for the most part been deleted, by means of an automatic deletion app which she installed one night but then seems to have forgotten about for a while. We have ended up with a selection of abusive tweets. Some of these clearly do not arise from the matter complained of. Others seem unlikely to do so. Generally, causation is problematic. 73. I do not think it safe to rely on much of this evidence. But there are a few tweets set out in the Further Information that are consistent with the overall case advanced. And I do accept what Ms Monroe said in her oral evidence, that there was further abuse that appeared to her to result from what had been said. I accept that there was in fact such an impact, and that it was substantial. “Torrent” is a noun, used metaphorically here. It may be colourful, and may tend to overstate what happened. But it is not an invention and nor is it in my judgment a serious distortion. 74. In all the circumstances and for the reasons I have given, whilst the claimant may not have proved that her reputation suffered gravely, I am satisfied that she has established that the publications complained of caused serious harm to her reputation, and met the threshold set by s 1 of the 2013 Act. Remedies Damages 75. A person who proves they have been libelled is entitled to recover a sum in damages that is enough to compensate for the wrong suffered. The heads of compensation, and the key factors, were identified by Sir Thomas Bingham MR in John v MGN Ltd [1997] QB 586, 607-608 (the numbers and letters are added by me): “That sum must [1] compensate him for the damage to his reputation; [2] vindicate his good name; and [3] take account of the distress, hurt and humiliation which the defamatory publication has caused. In assessing the appropriate damages for injury to reputation the most important factor is [a] the gravity of the libel; …. [b] The extent of publication … [c] A successful plaintiff may properly look to an award of damages to vindicate his reputation … [and] [d] compensatory damages may and should compensate for additional injury caused to the plaintiff's feelings by the defendant's conduct of the action, as when he persists in an unfounded assertion that the publication was true, or refuses to apologise, or cross-examines the plaintiff in a wounding or insulting way. Although the plaintiff has been referred to as "he" all this of course applies to women just as much as men.”

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