Paul
Weller was accused of hypocrisy in court on Tuesday over a series of interviews
he gave discussing fatherhood while promoting his latest album as he seeks
damages from the owners of MailOnline for publishing a series of unpixellated
photos of some of his children.
The
55-year-old musician was accused of wanting to portray an image of a “devoted
dad” in a bid to bump up record sales, the High Court in London heard. Known to
millions of fans as "the Modfather", Mr Weller told the court he had
“no public image” and that talking about his private life “made no difference”
to selling records.
MailOnline
published an article headlined “Modfather’s day out” alongside seven
photographs of himself with teenage daughter Dylan, and baby twins John Paul
and Bowie on holiday in Los Angeles. Mr Weller said he objected to the
“exploitation” of his children he said were being used for commercial gain.
Antony
White QC, counsel for MailOnline publisher Associated Newspapers Limited,
pointed to a series of interviews the musician had given to promote his 11th
solo album Sonic Kicks where he had discussed his private life at length. One
Big Issue article was headlined: “Who’s the daddy? Paul Weller shares parenting
tips”.
Mr White
said: “Could you not adopt the same policy as JK Rowling and simply refuse to
discuss any details of your children?”
Mr
Weller, immaculately dressed in a pinstripe suit and cravat, said: “We could
have… I wasn’t unhappy about the article. To me it is just some father gushing
about his family without any specific personal information.”
The
musician, who has seven children across four households, told the court if he
gets asked about his private life by journalists then he answers them. He said:
“Why should I not talk about my family? The publication of pictures of my
toddlers and 16-year-old that I have not consented to is a completely different
thing.”
Mr
Weller also said the series of articles Mr White referred to were examples of
“lazy journalism” and that he had no control of what appeared in print. The former
The Jam and Style Council frontman said he was unaware another of his
daughters, Leah, had published a photo of herself with the twins, now aged two,
where one of their faces can clearly be seen. An unofficial Facebook fan page
republished the image.
The
musician interrupted tersely when Mr White began to ask that if neither his
daughter nor the fan page found publication of the picture of the twins
objectionable what the problem was. The musician said: “I’m their father –
that’s the difference.”
He said
he and his wife Hannah asked Leah to remove the picture as soon as they found
out.
The
musician also gave a series of combative responses to Mr White when he was
questioned about the differences between Dylan engaging in a photoshoot with
Teen Vogue magazine when she was 14 and MailOnline’s decision to publish the
series of photos featuring Dylan and the twins.
Mr
Weller told the court: “Taking pictures of a very frightened 16-year-old
looking after her baby brother is completely different to agreeing to have your
pictures taken in a controlled environment.”
Mr White
said: “So for you it all comes down to consent?” to which Mr Weller replied:
“Yes”
Mr
Weller’s wife Hannah, mother of the twins, had earlier told the court that
although she posted on her Twitter account information about the young children
and pictures of the young children, which do not show their faces, she is
“careful” about not showing their faces. Mrs Weller, 28, said: “[My pictures]
could be of any toddlers.”
Dylan
Weller, now 17, also gave evidence from Los Angeles via videolink. She told the
court the MailOnline pictures made her feel “extremely uncomfortable”.
Mr
Weller is seeking £45,000 damages on behalf of the three children and an
injunction preventing the use of the photos.
The
trial continues.
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