Teacher was ‘forced into hiding’ after fake video appeared to show her making racist slur
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Teacher from West Midlands has won substantial damages after fake clip was viewed millions of times and shared widely on social media. A teacher subjected to a torrent of abuse after doctored footage falsely alleged she used a racist slur while canvassing for the Labour party has said she was forced into hiding and feared it would ruin her career.
Cheryl Bennett, a PE teacher from Wednesbury in the West Midlands, was helping her colleague, Qasim Mughal, hand out Labour leaflets during the local elections in May last year, when she was recorded on a household security camera. Soon after, footage of her leaving the property appeared online with subtitles falsely alleging she had used racist language, including a slur against Pakistani people, towards the homeowner.
The clip was viewed millions of times and shared widely on social media, including by Akhmed Yakoob, a lawyer who was at the time standing as an independent candidate in the West Midlands mayoral election. He posted the video alongside a clip of himself saying: “Those who are still in the Labour party, now is your time to leave.” He also shared Bennett’s name and place of work.
Bennett told the Sunday Times she had been paid “substantial” damages and costs from Yakoob after she filed legal action for defamation and a breach of her data protection rights. Nick McAleenan, a partner at Brabners solicitors who represented Bennett, said this was a first of its kind case that highlights the potential legal issues as video manipulation, often powered by artificial intelligence, becomes more commonplace, along with the proliferation of home security and doorbell cameras.
