LEGAL ACTION:

Yesterday’s successful bail hearing in Sydney for alleged war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith has sparked a flurry of defamation claims.

UK-based lawyers acting for retired actor Scott Tracy, (main picture) star of the 1960s British-made TV series Thunderbirds, said they would be suing the courtroom sketch artist and all publications that used the artist’s image of Roberts-Smith in stories about the bail hearing. (below)

“It is clear to our client that the image is not of Mr Roberts-Smith but of Mr Tracy and as such it damages his reputation and standing,” a statement by the lawyers said.

“Most significantly, we will argue that the image is very damaging to Mr Tracy’s prospects as an actor and will negatively impact his prospects of employment in the future – something he is very concerned about given that he has already spent the past 60 years waiting for any follow-up role to his work on Thunderbirds.“

A similar action against the sketch artist and relevant publications has been launched by a US legal firm  acting for a Mr Herman Munster of 1313 Mockingbird Lane in the American city of Mockingbird Heights. (below)

Meanwhile Roberts-Smith himself has also initiated defamation actions against the artist and media outlets using the sketch.

“We will be alleging that the sketch has damaged our client’s reputation and will prejudice his chances at receiving a fair trial on charges of committing war crimes by presenting him as an object of ridicule, namely Scott Tracy from Thunderbirds or Herman Munster,” the law firm said in a statement.

“As we advised our client during a previous defamation action, this one’s in the bag!” the statement said.

President of the Australian Courtroom Sketch Artists’ Union, Cary Couture, (below) said the union would always “vigorously” defend its members when they were threatened by legal action.

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