Billionaire tech pioneer Elon Musk made the news this week when he referred to one of the British divers involved in the rescue mission in Thailand as a “pedo” in a tweet to his circa 22 million followers. Yahoo have written a commentary in relation to the incident, which Megan O’Boyle of Taylor Hampton has contributed to.
Libel specialist Megan O’Boyle of Taylor Hampton said the following: “Referring to an individual as a “pedo” is an extremely serious allegation which is highly defamatory and would almost certainly cross the threshold in terms of causing serious harm to one’s reputation, a prerequisite for bringing a libel action in English law. If the diver’s reputation has been seriously harmed here in England, he can sue.”