“If I took it on the chin, those lies would still be out there…I had to put a stop to it”
Peter Jackson was last week awarded £100,000 (€115,190) in libel damages from a court in Northern Ireland for false claims that were spread online that he tried to pay off the complainant at his son’s high-profile rape trial, as well as another key witness.
Jackson (69) secured the judgment against reality TV personality Danielle Meagher – also known as Danielle Collins – over bogus allegations she made in April 2018 on Twitter, now rebranded as X.
Delivering judgment at the High Court in Belfast, Master Mark Harvey insisted there must be consequences for her “vile” allegations.
Speaking to the Sunday Independent this weekend, Mr Jackson said: “I absolutely want to have a chat with Danielle Meagher. I would really like some answers and an explanation as to why she went for me. I just really want to know why.
“Because she hasn’t explained herself, all I can presume is that she was just wanting to join the pile-on after my son’s trial. There were a lot of frustrated people after my son wasn’t locked up. She must have just decided, ‘they haven’t nailed the son, let’s have a go at the dad.’”
Rugby star Paddy Jackson was accused of rape
In the weeks before Ms Meagher posted her comments online, former Ireland and Ulster rugby players Paddy Jackson (33), and Stuart Olding (32), were unanimously acquitted of raping the woman.
Both sportsmen denied any criminal wrongdoing throughout their trial in Belfast.
Peter Jackson told the Sunday Independent that receiving the £100,000 in damages, plus legal costs, may not be straightforward to recover as Ms Meagher is now living in the US. But he insisted this case was never about financial compensation.
Peter Jackson pictured at home. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye
News in 90 Seconds – October 19
“I do want to say, it’s not about the pound sign. This is about accountability. This woman should stand up and be accountable. Why is she hiding?” he asked.
“I think it will be a long hard battle to get it (compensation). I think it will be difficult. But I am steadfast. I was in sales all my life, I’m a people person. I’m used to talking to people, I would still say to her, ‘let’s have a chat. Explain why you did this?’
“At the same time, I will not let go of this, I will follow through in the interest of accountability. I will be 70 on Christmas Eve, so I’m not gone yet.”
The father-of-three is to meet with his lawyers to discuss how to legally pursue the court ruling issued against Ms Meagher, who has addresses in the US and Dublin.
Mr Jackson said that everyone, including himself, has a legal right to defend their good name.
“My advice would be, don’t let the fear hold you back. Have a think about it, weigh up the risks, but if you’ve been wronged you should consider trying to clear your name. Once you get into it, you have to keep taking deep breaths. I’m in this for the long term, to ensure my name is cleared. If I took it on the chin, those lies would still be out there. I had to put a stop to it,” he added.
Peter Jackson said his family were trying to recover following the trial, which attracted international media attention and much scrutiny of his family, when these false claims against him were spread online.
Recalling the immediate aftermath of his son’s acquittal, he said: “On that final day, in court 12 on the fourth floor, my pride in my family was right up there at the top of anything else. It was one of my proudest moments, outside of the birth of my three kids and my grandkids.
“The judge came back, and Patrick (Paddy) was acquitted after two hours of deliberations. Patrick had been so strong and so resilient. I was proud of how he’d stood up to everything that had been thrown at him since 2016.
“We were unsure of the way forward and we were very emotional. But we were also positive. Then, just weeks later, this happened. This was out of the blue.”
He said that some of the narrative around his son’s rape trial was “crazy town stuff”, including that his son and his co-accused came from “middle-class, Protestant grammar schools…That’s the furthest thing from the truth. We’re ordinary, down-to-earth people”.
He recalled getting a phone call from one of his nephews, telling him about what was being written on social media by Ms Meagher after his son’s acquittal.
“My nephew was angry on my behalf. I initially just thought, ‘that’s just social media.’ But then, the same woman put up a photo of Patrick’s house on social media, and his address, and in the photo my other son was leaving the house, and my wife’s car and her registration were clear.
“One of my grandchildren was living at that house too. Then I just thought ‘no’. That’s scary,” Peter Jackson said.
“I am the head of my family. I wanted to set the record straight. I began to realise that I didn’t want my grandkids to read these lies in years to come and think it was true, that I had paid off Patrick’s complainant.
“The easiest thing would have been to walk away from it. But when I realised the seriousness of it, I contacted my solicitor, Kevin Winters of KRW Law. I just wanted my name cleared.”
Mr Jackson said that he “cannot believe” that it’s been seven-and-a-half years since these false accusations about him were published online.
“When we came back from court on Tuesday, we were just exhausted. I can’t say it hasn’t had a big impact on me, and my family. When the photo was published of my son’s house and address, that’s when I started to trawl the internet to find out what was being reposted.
“She got into my head and heart, by what she tweeted. I see myself as the head of the household and in a way I’ve a responsibility to protect my family and our name. Was it that the trial just didn’t work out how she wanted it to? She made criminal allegations against me.”
Judgment was previously obtained against Ms Meagher when she failed to enter an appearance in the case.
Danielle Meagher
Ms Meagher at the outset denied knowing anything about the tweets and made baseless claims the account was operated by a talent agency. At the High Court in Belfast, Master Mark Harvey said it was rare to encounter such extensive efforts to track down a defendant, including serving notice on addresses in the US and enlisting a private security firm to try to locate her in Dublin.
The judge referred to her as a “Z-list” celebrity whose conduct had been reprehensible.
“She departed for America and has been awkward and difficult throughout this process… she has simply brazened it out,” he said.
With no apology or retraction made, the level of payout must reflect vindication for Mr Jackson, the judge added. The judge pointed out that “such cowardly online bile causes real life hurt and upset to other people”.
“There seems to be a sense in some quarters that there is an online cloak of invisibility leading people to type things on a keyboard they may never utter in person,” he added.
She previously appeared on reality TV shows such as Dublin Wives and Celebrity Big Brother.
She has also run a Botox clinic in Dublin and has been dubbed as ‘Dr Botox’.
Mr Jackson said tracking her career online became an unhealthy obsession, which impacted his health.
In August, while researching Ms Meagher’s planned appearance at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, he suffered a stroke.
“It seems ridiculous, but on August 7 I was looking up her planned appearance at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival when I realised, I couldn’t move my left arm. My wife Gay was there, and she was able to help, she’s a retired physiotherapist.”
Mr Jackson’s solicitor, Mr Winters told the Sunday World: “The [Peter] Jackson case crystalises the serious evolving issue of challenging offensive social media posting that is not only defamatory but also harassing in nature.
“Whilst we successfully navigated complicated extra jurisdictional service issues we now have further logistical problems in trying to enforce the courts judgement against Collins.
“Not unexpectedly she has failed to respond to Mr Jackson’s plea to do the right thing and make an apology to him and his family over her odious self-serving lies. Instead and consistent with her repellent behaviour throughout the court proceedings she has literally run to the hills, this time in the USA.
“We are confident we will track her down. We will find her and hold her to account.”