Who am I?

I am a firefighter, trade union activist and writer.

About the case

In August 2022, I was travelling on a train with my children from London to Norwich. A group of women sitting directly behind us were consuming alcohol and behaving in a loud and obnoxious manner. One woman in particular was repeatedly using sexually-explicit profanities. I considered it unacceptable that passengers, including my own children, should be subjected to this behaviour, so eventually I intervened and politely asked the woman to refrain from swearing. This request was met with hostility and abuse. This prompted me to locate the train guard who asked the women to reduce the noise level and be mindful of their fellow passengers. They obliged. However, as soon as the guard left the carriage, the loutish behaviour resumed, and my children and I were subjected to a further torrent of abuse.

At this point, I took a short video on my mobile phone. This was done conspicuously in order to evidence the group’s abusive behaviour and in the hope that the very fact of my recording them would cause them to stop. However, the resulting video shows me being called a "c**t" and a "p***k", and warned that I would be "knocked out". I was later threatened with a beer bottle to my face.

Shortly afterwards, I tweeted a photo of the women in question to the train operator – Greater Anglia – highlighting their conduct. My hope was that the train company would take action against the women in question (e.g. ban or at least warn them).

My tweet went viral and, according to Twitter Analytics, was seen by over a million people. Whilst I had not expected this, I was pleased that the issue of anti-social behaviour on public transport was briefly in the spotlight.  

However, over the following two days, Dr Jo Grady, the general secretary of the University and College Union (UCU), published the following tweets:

“Grow up Paul and take a day off bullying women and pretending to be outraged for clicks.  It’s pathetic at any age, but especially yours.”

“It’s creepy to record young women on the train, share that video, and lie about them on social media for clout.”

Dr Grady is a highly influential figure within the trade union movement, and beyond. She has over 55,000 Twitter followers. Her tweets accusing me of lying about the incident in question and being a serial harasser of women were retweeted and "liked" thousands of times and have caused immeasurable harm to my reputation. They portrayed me as a misogynist, a pervert, and a liar, when all I was seeking to do was defend myself, my children and fellow passengers from rowdy and threatening behaviour on public transport. They contained wild and reckless allegations; all entirely without foundation. 

The account I gave about the incident on the train was an honest one which Dr Grady is not in a position to challenge. Moreover, I have video evidence which, contrary to what Dr Grady has stated, has never been shared on social media. As above, my motive in tweeting about the incident was to report anti-social behaviour. My tweet highlighted a very real problem that ordinary, decent passengers face every day on public transport. 

I wrote to Dr Grady asking her to apologise and withdraw the allegations. She has refused to do this. I also offered to show her my video of the incident, which would have provided her with cast-iron proof that I had told the truth. She did not accept that offer. In spite of being told she may face a defamation claim, Dr Grady has to date been dismissive in her responses, seeking to deny responsibility on the basis that she was expressing an "honest opinion". This is simply not credible. 

A common strategy adopted by defendants in libel, or any form of legal, proceedings is to raise a defence in correspondence (regardless of its merit) and effectively tell a claimant to "sue or shut up". Libel proceedings can be notoriously expensive and, for this reason, many victims of libel never obtain justice. Indeed, only about 200 claims are issued a year, of which a dozen or so may eventually go to trial. Claimants are often intimidated by the risk of being ordered to pay a defendant’s legal costs if they bring a claim and fail. I am not intimidated by this risk because I know I am right and Dr Grady is wrong. I am determined to defend my reputation. However, the upfront costs of going to court are potentially enormous.  This is where I need your help.

The campaign

The only reasons for bringing this claim are to stand up for what is right and to obtain vindication for the harm my character has suffered. Any damages I receive will be donated in their entirety to groups campaigning to defend women's sex-based rights and the integrity of women's sports. I would not keep a penny of damages for myself.

I am reaching out to my network and beyond for support. Some of you will know me and will know that I am honest and straightforward in my opinions and actions. Moreover, I am someone who has always campaigned against misogyny and in defence of women’s rights. Others of you will no doubt have suffered from similar abuse or anti-social behaviour on public transport and recognise that victims should not be attacked for calling out such behaviour (which invariably goes unpunished).  

I appreciate times are hard for many, but anything you can spare will make a difference. The beauty of crowdfunding is that a thousand small donations can add up to a meaningful sum.

How it works

At the outset of a claim, it is impossible to know the total amount of legal costs. This is because lawyers bill on a "time spent" basis, and claims can settle at any point, from the point of issue onwards. Claims that do not settle can take 12-18 months to come to trial. Additional costs can arise if there is an "interim application" or an appeal. For this reason, my crowdfunding campaign will be run in stages, with a request for funding at various points in the case (if and when necessary). Case updates will be provided at each stage.

How much am I trying to raise?

My initial target is £24,000 (£20,000 of legal fees plus vat). This should allow my lawyers to prepare the claim, instruct specialist counsel, prepare Particulars of Claim and issue and serve the claim. It will also cover the court fee. 

If the matter does not settle at this point, the next stage of the claim is likely to be a "meaning hearing", when the court will determine the meaning of Dr Grady’s statements, whether they are defamatory and whether they are statements of opinion or fact.  A further £36,000 (£30,000 of legal fees plus vat) will need to be raised if the claim gets to this stage.

Some important points to remember

If you support me in this crowdfunding campaign, you are making a donation. I will be immeasurably grateful, but it is important to understand that you are not "investing" in the litigation and will have no control over the litigation or access to privileged information. You will effectively be gifting me the money, albeit on the proviso that I may use it only for this litigation. All money goes directly to my lawyer’s client account after the deduction of this platform’s processing fees. 

As above, any unused funds will be donated to charity or other worthy causes in accordance with CrowdJustice’s Unused Funds Policy. The exception to this is that donors who have donated more than £1,000 in one transaction will receive a pro-rota refund from any unused funds. 

In the event that my claim succeeds, I will seek a costs order in my favour (as I will remain liable for my lawyers’ fees, I can do this). After the deduction of any sum I have paid personally, such money will be treated in the same way as unused funds. 

As above, in the event that the claim succeeds, any award of damages will be given to groups campaigning to defend women's sex-based rights and the integrity of women's sports. 

Whilst I do not anticipate this arising, in the event that I am the subject of an adverse costs order (for example, following an interim application), I may use crowdfunding money to settle such an order.

This webpage and the comments will inevitably be monitored by Dr Grady and her legal team. For this reason, there is a limit to what I can publish. Whilst I will publish periodic updates on this page, I cannot go into too much detail or, for instance, discuss any legal advice I have received. It is also important that you do not leave any sensitive comments about the case if leaving a donation (or expose yourself to the threat of a defamation). If you have information relevant to the case you can contact my legal team at [email protected]  

Thank you very much for taking the time to read this.