Daniel Johns Is Suing ‘The Sunday Telegraph’ For Defamation Over A Brothel Article
The Tele claimed Johns was a frequent visitor. Johns says he'd never heard of it.
Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns is suing The Sunday Telegraph for defamation over a story in which the publication alleged that he is a frequent attendee of brothels.
The newspaper claimed that Johns is a frequent patron of The Kastle, a famous Sydney brothel. Very frequent, in fact — as Johns detailed yesterday in a Facebook post about the story, The Telegraph alleged that Johns spent up to 18 hours a day at The Kastle.
“Additionally, it was stated that staff and patrons were ‘fed up’ with me, and I was full of venom and anger,” Johns wrote.
Pointing in the direction of vague, if colourful details, the article further pointed out that The Kastle specialises in “S&M, bondage, ‘brown showers’ and ‘adult babies’.”
According to Johns, no attempt was made to contact him or his representatives prior to publication. He also reportedly asked for an apology and retraction, which the Telegraph did not provide.
“This false reporting has been very hurtful, humiliating, and damaging to me and my family,” Johns wrote. “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.”
The day after the article was posted, the brothel’s madam, Mistress Scarlett, also denied Johns had ever been to the venue.
In response to today’s Daily Telegraph article, we state that Daniel Johns was not on the premises nor has been previously. 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.
— Mistress Scarlett (@TheKastleSydney) August 11, 2019
Read his full statement below.
Daniel Johns Statement
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.