'Enders' Gus refutes 'woman beater' claim

[Perdita]

Former EastEnders actor Mohammed George has started libel action against The Sun after the tabloid reportedly called him a "woman beater".

The BBC reports that George, who played Gus Smith in the soap, alleges that his acting prospects were "damaged" by the paper's report, which came in the wake of his 2006 arrest for common assault against his then-girlfriend Emma Archibald.

The Sun is contesting the 26-year-old actor's claim.

George's lawyer, Ronald Thwaites QC, told the High Court: "In a nutshell, the allegation against him is that he flew into a rage in the street in the early hours of the morning of 3 December, 2006, and beat up his then girlfriend and mother of his daughter, acting like a wild animal and leaving her sprawling in the street when he ran away. He says this is completely untrue, a false picture."

Thwaites told the court that George admitted that he hit Ms Archibald with a rubbish bag which had split open, for which he accepted a police caution for common assault.

Questioned by his lawyer, George told the court that he does not have a short fuse and described himself as a "very sensitive person". He added that there was "no way" that he was someone who was prepared to hit women. The case continues.

[RuebenClara]

He was arrested so why is he suing?

[Perdita]

By the look of it, the paper exaggerated what really happened.

[Perdita]

Former EastEnders actor Mohammed George has been awarded £75,000 libel damages over claims that he acted like a "wild animal" during an altercation with his former girlfriend.

The 26-year-old's action against The Sun, which was contested by News Group Newspapers, claimed that his reputation had been "seriously and unfairly damaged" by a report published in the paper.

George's QC Ronald Thwaites told the High Court in London: "In a nutshell the allegation against him is that he flew into a rage in the street in the early hours of the morning of December 3 2006, and beat up his then girlfriend and mother of his daughter, acting like a wild animal and leaving her sprawling in the street when he ran away."

According to PA, George, who played Gus in the BBC soap, said that he is "ecstatic" following the majority verdict.

He said: "I no longer have this weight hanging over me and finally people will realise that what they wrote wasn't true."

George added that he now hopes producers will not be afraid to employ him. "If I was a casting director I wouldn't want to cast someone who I thought was a wife beater," he said.

I am pleased for him. Hopefully his career will start up again.