Taylor Hampton acted for former Coronation Street Actor Qasim Akhtar in his successful Defamation action against the Sun newspaper. The Sun had falsely alleged that Qasim had backed an Islamic cleric, and that through that association he had supported extremism, radicalisation and violence. It also falsely alleged that he had moved to Pakistan and undertaken firearms training.
The Sun has apologised to Qasim, agreed to pay him substantial damages and his legal costs, and undertaken not to repeat the allegations.
Following the conclusion of the action, Qasim Akhtar stated the following:
Lastly, I’d like to give a special show of appreciation to my legal team, Taylor Hampton Solicitors, in particular Daniel Taylor, Jay Joshi, Joshua Maurice and my barrister from Doughty Street Chambers, Mark Henderson. None of this would have been possible without them. From start to finish, the professionalism, dedication, intricate attention to detail, communication throughout and execution in this case was nothing short of outstanding. Seriously, they exceeded all of my expectations. True experts in defamation law. Words do no justice for how pleased I am with this outcome, which you worked so tirelessly to attain for me. Thank you so much.