A former Liberal Democrat MP is to receive libel damages from an alleged fantasist who made unsubstantiated rape claims against him.
John Hemming, 58, has scored a major High Court victory against Esther Baker, 36, who has tormented him for four years with unproven claims of child sex abuse.
A judge has barred Miss Baker from trying to uphold allegations of rape and sexual abuse she has made against Mr Hemming in court papers.
Miss Baker insisted her allegations were correct but the judge ruled that her ‘denial that her allegations of rape and sexual abuse by the defendant (Mr Hemming) were untrue’ should be struck out of the documents.
Miss Baker, who in 2015 won the crucial backing of Labour deputy leader Tom Watson over her hotly contested child sex allegations, launched a libel action against Mr Hemming claiming he had defamed her, including calling her a ‘fantasist’.
The former politician, who has consistently denied her accusations, counter-sued her for defamation, accusing her of ‘malicious and deliberate lies’.
In a preliminary court hearing last month both sought to have each other’s claims dismissed.