Ex-Coronation Street Actor Wins Libel Damages From Sun

The publisher of The Sun has agreed to pay "substantial" damages to former Coronation Street actor Qasim Akhtar to settle a High Court libel claim over an article that falsely linked him to extremism.

Article Falsely Claimed Firearms Training

Akhtar, who played Zeedan Nazir in the ITV soap across two stints between 2014 and 2023, sued News Group Newspapers (NGN) over an article published in print and online in November 2025.

The article falsely claimed Akhtar had "backed" and "teamed up with" an Islamic cleric, was associated with extremism, radicalisation and violence, and had moved to Pakistan to undertake firearms training.

Publisher Accepted Article Should Never Have Run

Appearing at the High Court, Akhtar's lawyer Daniel Taylor of Taylor Hampton said NGN had agreed to pay "substantial damages" along with Akhtar's legal costs, and that the publisher accepted the article caused "serious harm" to his reputation and "great distress."

Representing NGN, lawyer Andrew Wheelhouse told the court the publisher accepted the article "should never have been published" and had undertaken never to repeat the allegations.

Publisher Failed To Seek Response

Taylor told the court the libel was compounded by NGN's failure to seek Akhtar's response to the allegations before publication, and that the false claims had disrupted the actor's family life and forced him to put work on hold while the case was resolved.

The settlement follows an apology published by The Sun in May, in which the newspaper accepted the claims were "entirely false" and said Akhtar had never endorsed extremism, moved to Pakistan, or undertaken firearms training.

Akhtar Calls Last Six Months "Tough"

Akhtar, 35, from Manchester, also known for playing Chesney Karib in Channel 4's Shameless, did not attend Thursday's hearing. In an earlier Instagram statement, he said the last six months had been "very tough," adding the allegations had "deeply affected me, my reputation, my family, my safety."

TheTrendsWire's Take

The detail that stands out isn't the damages figure — undisclosed and likely to stay that way — it's the publisher's admission that Akhtar was never even asked for a response before the story ran. That's not a reporting error; it's a basic step libel lawyers routinely flag as the difference between defensible journalism and a costly settlement, and NGN skipping it here is why "substantial damages" rather than a quiet correction was the outcome.

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