UK man wins record Internet libel damages

By Andrew Hough

LONDON (Reuters) - A British property executive won record Internet libel damages from a court on Thursday, in one of the country's first cases stemming from online harassment by a business rival.

Peter Walls, 55, of Sunderland in northern England, told Reuters the two-year hate campaign had been a nightmare and called for the law to be changed to allow swifter justice in such cases.

Walls, his family and 30 staff members were subjected to "vicious and unpleasant anonymous, defamatory attacks", High Court judge David Eady was told.

As a result, the social housing company chief executive accepted a record 100,000 pounds ($198,700) in damages on Thursday.

Walls' company, Gentoo Group Ltd, and several other unnamed people had already accepted almost 20,000 pounds in damages, the court was told.

"It has been a nightmare," Walls, a former local council executive, told Reuters afterwards.

"It has not just been a single time, it has been day after day and that has been very difficult to live with.

"It is terribly intimidating and frightening and I think the people that did this knew that."