- MediaGuardian,
- Tuesday May 21 2002
Friends Reunited: the TV programme will launch next month on ITV Play
In what is believed to be the first case of its kind, a retired schoolteacher has sued a former pupil for "character assassination" on the Friends Reunited website.
Jim Murray, 68, was yesterday awarded £1,250 in libel damages at Lincoln county court.
He launched his action after former pupil Jonathan Spencer posted a message on the website alleging Mr Murray had been dismissed from Ridgewood Comprehensive in Doncaster for "making rude remarks about girls" and strangling a pupil.
The message was removed from the site after Mr Murray pointed out that he had not been sacked but had retired in 1983.
After winning his libel action, Mr Murray described the award as "pathetic".
According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, he said: "I have dedicated 32 years to education, and if my reputation is only worth £1,250 then that is pathetic.
"It is character assassination and I am afraid Friends Reunited is much to blame. It is giving immature young people the chance to have a go."
Mr Murray said he would be calling on his union to take disciplinary action against Mr Spencer, who is also a teacher.
A spokesman for Friends Reunited said: "If we receive any report of an offending message it is promptly removed and we review it. On this occasion we removed the message as soon as practicable after it was brought to our attention. This kind of problem is exceptionally rare."
Friends Reunited, which launched from the bedroom of a semi-detached house in north London two years ago, has become one of the biggest online success stories.
It aims to reunite old school mates and boasts more than 6 million registered users. But the site has come under strong criticism from teachers' unions because old pupils have been posting derogatory and potentially libellous comments about their former teachers.
In a new twist, the web was recently caught up in a messy domestic dispute. A message, purportedly posted by his wife, described a businessman's alleged extramarital affair in graphic detail.
The message had been posted among harmless memories from pupils of his old school in Leicestershire.
