“Defendants’ malicious publication of the articles, which paint the victim of a serious crime as a criminal herself, is libellous per se.”

It described him as being "parachuted in" to the assembly contest and included what Mr Hamilton said were "libellous" claims about his past.

But Abramovic’s lawyer said the artist “totally disagrees” with her former partner’s allegations. “My client doesn’t want to comment on them, they are libellous.