Wolf Creek actor hails ‘godfather of law’ Chris Murphy in defamation battle
John Jarratt has praised a high-profile lawyer, who is waging a defamation battle over suggestions he was ‘ravaged by age’.
Actor John Jarratt, who was acquitted in 2019 of raping a woman in 1976, has praised his lawyer Chris Murphy as the godfather of law, backing the star legal figure in his defamation battle against The Daily Telegraph over a column which suggested he was “ravaged by age.”
Mr Murphy, 72, is suing The Telegraph, owned by News Corp, over a column on October 10 about the breakdown of his marriage to artist Agnes Bruck by journalist Annette Sharp, in which she suggested he was too old and too deaf to represent his “famous” Sydney clients.
From the witness box on Thursday, the star of Wolf Creek described Mr Murphy as the “godfather of law” who had “masterfully” conducted his sexual assault case “from his office.”
Mr Jarratt said he celebrated the not guilty verdict with family and friends in July 2019 by toasting Mr Murphy with glasses of champagne.
Barrister Dauid Sibtain, for the Telegraph, put it to Mr Jarratt that it was Mr Murphy’s protege, Bryan Wrench, who was “integral” to the case, and not the more senior lawyer.
“Mr Wrench made you go through your statements with a fine tooth comb?” he asked.
“No, Mr Murphy made me go through my statement with a fine tooth comb,” Mr Jarratt replied.
On Tuesday, Mr Sibtain had suggested that Mr Murphy was no longer the “face” of his own firm, Murphy’s Lawyers, and that he had passed the baton to Mr Wrench.
Barrister Sue Chrysanthou, SC, acting for Mr Murphy, has said the article conveyed five false and defamatory imputations, including that he was “so ravaged by age and deafness” as to be unfit to practise law or to represent his clients in court.
Also appearing in the witness box on Thursday, artist Mr Deirmendjian said he discussed Sharp’s column with Archibald Prize winner Kevin Connor while at the Tropicana caffe in inner-city Darlinghurst, a popular caffeine stop for the who’s who of Sydney society.
“He himself (Connor) had heard through other means that something had happened (to Murphy’s) health,” he said. “That he was incapable of carrying on.”
At the up-market Dominik Mersch Gallery in Rushcutters Bay, Mr Deirmendjian said the “general consensus” among the area’s art connoisseurs was that Mr Murphy was “past it.”
He said Mr Mersch’s “well to do” eastern suburbs clients had “heard hearsay” about Mr Murphy being “incapable” of leading his distinguished CBD criminal law firm.
The Daily Telegraph says the article does not convey the defamatory imputations pleaded by Mr Murphy. However, Mr Sibtain said this week that if that specific meaning was conveyed, then it is substantially true because Mr Murphy “has been affected by deafness in the past year that has kept him from representing his clients in court”.
On Tuesday, Mr Murphy said he had been deaf for more than 10 years and had been wearing hearing devices since 2014. It is not in dispute that Mr Murphy has a hearing impairment.
Mr Jarratt has also previously sued The Daily Telegraph for defamation. At trial, the now 68-year-old actor testified that he had only learned of the rape allegation in November 2017 when he saw a front-page story on The Daily Telegraph headlined “Wolf Creek star in rape claim”. Days after the not guilty verdict, Mr Murphy confirmed on Twitter that Mr Jarratt had commenced defamation action against the newspaper.
In December 2019, he abandoned the proceedings after the newspaper issued an apology and a confidential settlement was reached.
The hearing continues.
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