Frankie Boyle branded 'callous'
9:14pm Friday 19th October 2012 in National Entertainment News © Press Association 2013
Frankie Boyle has been branded 'callous' by a lawyer representing The Daily Mirror
Comedian Frankie Boyle has come under attack from a tabloid newspaper he is suing for libel after being described as "racist".
A lawyer representing the Daily Mirror told a High Court jury that Mr Boyle was "callous" and "insensitive".
Ronald Thwaites QC said jurors should not find in the comedian's favour.
And he said if jurors thought that Mr Boyle had been libelled they should show their "contempt" by awarding damages of 45p - the price of a copy of the Daily Mirror.
But a lawyer representing Mr Boyle said being called "racist" was "extremely serious" - and defamatory.
Mr Boyle has complained that the Daily Mirror libelled him by describing him as "racist comedian Frankie Boyle" in an article.
He says he has actively campaigned against racism and parodies racists and claims the newspaper "misunderstood" the context of his use of language in jokes.
Daily Mirror publisher Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) is defending its article, published on July 19 2011.
MGN lawyers have described Mr Boyle as a "racist comedian" who gratuitously exploits negative stereotypes of black people for "cheap laughs".
The trial, at the High Court in London, is due to end next week.
