FORMER Merseyside Labour MP Stephen Hesford last night accepted undisclosed libel damages over a claim he was a sex pest.
Mr Hesford, who represented the West Wirral constituency until he stood down at the general election, had brought High Court proceedings against Express Newspapers.
His counsel, Richard Pitkethly, told Mr Justice Tugendhat in London that, in October, 2009, the Daily Express published an article called “MP who took a moral stance ‘was a sex pest’’’.
He said: “The article wrongly implied that Mr Hesford was being accused of personally having sexually harassed his former employee and was therefore a hypocrite, having resigned a month earlier as a matter of principle as a Parliamentary aide to the Attorney General.”
The newspaper’s counsel, Clare Kissin, said it apologised for any damage, distress and embarrassment caused and welcomed the opportunity to set the record straight.
