Footballer Ashley Cole has filed an action for breach of privacy over stories which claim he had affairs with a string of women while married to wife Cheryl.
The particulars of claim make reference to stories about alleged relationships involving Aimee Walton, Brooke Healy, Coralie Robinson and Jakki Degg.
Cole accuses the four women of infringing his rights in a flagrant, self-serving and unilateral manner and says publication of stories about his sex life was wrongful and a breach of confidence, an infringement of his right to privacy and a misuse of private information.
In the writ Cole admits that he was gravely distressed as a result of disclosure of the information about his alleged flings. He suffered more distress as a result of the impact of the stories on his family and wife in particular, he says.
Cole claims he was distressed and embarrassed by the string of disclosures which were published in The Sun and Sun Online between 25 January and 22 February. He is suing for damages of £200,000 over 12 stories published earlier this year alleging that he had sex with four girls but says some of the information is false and invented. But he says the question of truth or falsity is irrelevant and his alleged sexual relationships with the women should have stayed private.
Cole, who won special permission from procedural judge Master Leslie to keep his address private, is also seeking an injunction banning the group from repeating private information about him.
Cole is seeking aggravated and exemplary damages and says the publishers treated his complaints in a wholly dismissive manner. He wants damages or an inquiry into damages, or an account of profits from the newspaper stories.
Cole argues that he does not hold any public office or carry out any official duties, and information about his sex life “was not capable of contributing to a debate in a democratic society relating to matters of public interest”.
Walton spoke about their alleged fling for financial reward rather than any legitimate purpose, he says. And he claims that Walton, Healy, Robinson and Degg did not seek his permission to disclose information, or warn him in advance, before infringing his rights to privacy.
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