Daniel Johns sues Sunday Telegraph for defamation over bondage story

Daniel Johns is suing Nationwide News, publisher of Sydney tabloid The Sunday Telegraph, for defamation over a recent story that claimed he frequented notorious bondage club The Kastle, which the paper claimed specialises in "brown showers" and "adult babies".

Johns has categorically denied the allegations.

Daniel Johns, former frontman of Silverchair, who is suing the Sunday Telegraph for defamation. Credit: Jordan Munns

In a statement released to The Age and Sydney Morning Herald by his lawyers on Thursday afternoon, the former Silverchair frontman said he has commenced defamation proceedings in the Supreme Court of Victoria "against The Sunday Telegraph newspaper, its editor and a journalist".

Also named in the legal action are Amy Harris, author of the article published on August 11, and editor Mick Carroll.

In the statement of claim lodged in the Supreme Court of Victoria, lawyers for Johns allege that the article defamed him because it "meant and was understood to mean that the plaintiff is such a sexual pervert that he used the services of prostitutes at notorious brothel The Kastle, which specialises in sexual acts involving faeces and pretending to be a baby, bondage, sadism and masochism, in a 12-hour lock-in session".

The document also alleges that the article suggested Johns "is such a pervert that he uses the services of prostitutes at one of Sydney's most notorious brothels ... so frequently the brothel has become his second home", that he had "engaged in such unacceptable behaviour ... that other guests [at the brothel] felt uncomfortable" and that he "has such a history of becoming aggressive ... that [the brothel's] staff and patrons are now fed up with him".

The statement of claim asserts that Johns "has been gravely injured" by the publication of the article in print and online, and that he has and will continue to suffer economic loss, and that his ability to work has been "significantly impaired" due to "stress and anxiety" arising from the publication of the article.

The amount Johns is seeking in damages has not been specified.

The print and online versions of the article were accompanied by a series of pictures taken by photographer Damian Shaw, images that the article claimed showed the multiple ARIA award winner emerging "bleary-eyed" from the Chippendale club at 8pm the previous night.

Johns, however, said in his statement: "I simply was not, and have never been, there. In fact, I never even knew of [the club's] existence."

That tallies with a Twitter post on the day the article appeared by Mistress Scarlett, aka Debra Starr, the club's owner.

"In response to today's Daily Telegraph article, we state that Daniel Johns was not on the premises nor has been previously," she wrote.

"We're unsure of the source of this false information. In our 30-year history, we've never revealed the identity of clients and take privacy very seriously."

Johns, who collaborated with Flume on his 2017 Grammy-winning album Skin, claims he was never contacted for comment before the story was published.

He said that after the story was published he asked the paper to retract it and issue a correction, neither of which it had done, though the offending article is no longer online.

"I have now issued legal proceedings in order to publicly correct the facts and vindicate my reputation," Johns said.

The singer, who played with former Empire of the Sun frontman Luke Steele as DREAMS at last year's Coachella and at the Splendour in the Grass and Laneway festivals this year with What So Not, said: "This false reporting has been very hurtful, humiliating, and damaging to me and my family."

Nationwide News and Starr have declined to comment.

Read Daniel Johns' statement in full

"Today, I commenced defamation proceedings in the Supreme Court of Victoria against The Sunday Telegraph newspaper, its editor and a journalist.

"On 11 August 2019, a photograph of me was splashed across the front page under the headline 'King of the Kastle'. According to the newspaper, it was a photograph of me leaving a brothel called The Kastle, which the article described as specialising in bondage, S&M, 'brown showers' and 'adult babies'.

"The article stated that I am there so frequently that it has become my second home, spending up to 18 hours a day there for the previous two weeks. Additionally, it was stated that staff and patrons were 'fed up' with me, and I was full of venom and anger.

"The article was simply untrue.

"No contact was made with me or my representatives to check the facts before the article was published.

"I have asked the newspaper for an apology and retraction. Neither has been provided.

"I have now issued legal proceedings in order to publicly correct the facts and vindicate my reputation.

"This false reporting has been very hurtful, humiliating, and damaging to me and my family. It is disappointing that the newspaper has not acknowledged this and apologised despite assertions from both myself, and a representative of the Kastle, that I simply was not, and have never been, there. In fact, I never even knew of its existence."

Follow the author on Facebook at karlquinnjournalist and on twitter @karlkwin