Man falsely identified as Parnell Square stabbing suspect sues Gript website for defamation

A man who was falsely identified as being the suspect in a stabbing outside a school which left three children and a creche worker injured has initiated defamation proceedings against an online news outlet and its editor.

Special security measures had to be put in place for the man after he was incorrectly identified online as the suspect in the attack at Parnell Square in Dublin last November.

The Irish Independent has learned the man has now initiated High Court proceedings against Gript Media Ltd, publishers of the Gript website, and its editor John McGuirk.

The online news outlet published a story which blamed the wrong man for the stabbing. The article was later removed from the internet following contact from gardaí.

The Gript article did not name the man, who was born in Algeria, but included details of an immigration case ruling, which was available on legal websites, and in which he was named.

Following the Gript report, the innocent man was quickly identified on social media, where his photograph and other details were published. The posts were shared thousands of times.

Regan McEntee & Partners, a solicitors firm in Trim, Co Meath, initiated proceedings on the man’s behalf yesterday.

While full details of the case have yet to be made public, it is known the man is suing for defamation and breach of privacy.

An injunction will also be sought restraining further publication.

A spokesman for the law firm said it was not in a position to comment on the case at this point.

Mr McGuirk also declined to comment.

Last November, gardaí expressed deep concern after the innocent man’s photograph and other details about him were shared on social media. The force also criticised the Gript article.

At the time a garda spokesman said: “This article is highly inaccurate. The individual referenced in the article is not a person of interest in the investigation into the knife attack of last Thursday.

“An Garda Síochána has contacted the online news outlet and the outlet has agreed to remove the article.

“The online news outlet did not contact the Garda Press Office before publication.

“An Garda Síochána is aware of some social media posts resulting from the article that purport to identify the individual and has put in place measures to ensure the safety of the individual.”

Mr McGuirk later said the article was based on garda and official sources.

He said what had happened “feels like a bit of a rat-f**king”, a term used to describe dirty tricks or deliberate sabotage.

Another man was later charged in connection with the stabbing incident, which occurred at lunchtime on November 23 outside Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire.

An anti-immigrant protest that evening, arising from the knife attack, later escalated into a large scale riot, with vandalism, arson and looting in Dublin city centre.

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