The issue of defamation is an area which is becoming more prevalent in today’s society. Freedom of speech and freedom of the press must be viewed with extreme caution. In the controversial issue of the RTE programme “Prime Time” Fr. Kevin Reynolds was accused of allegedly sexually abusing a teenage girl in Kenya in 1982. It was also claimed that he fathered a child and subsequently abandoned her. Following this publication, a paternity test showed that Fr. Kevin Reynolds was not the child’s father.
In order to ameliorate some of the damage caused to Fr. Kevin Reynolds, a Correction Order was ordered by the High Court. Fr. Kevin Reynolds was also awarded substantial compensatory and aggravated damages and his legal costs are to be paid.
