Mosley to sue paper for libel

Max Mosley announced yesterday that he is planning to sue the News of the World for libel, after winning the record sum of £60,000 in privacy damages from the newspaper last week.

Lawyers for the motorsport boss, who was photographed taking part in what the newspaper called a "Nazi-themed" sadomasochistic orgy with five prostitutes, have launched a defamation case against the tabloid. Mr Mosley also said he planned to take legal action against media groups in Germany, France and Italy which republished the images without his permission.

In an interview with a Sunday newspaper yesterday, the FIA president explained why he felt he had to defend himself against the News of the World's allegations. He said: "I didn't really have a choice because there was nowhere to hide. In the modern world, I could go to the most obscure village in the Andes and someone with a computer would know what I had been accused of. So I had to fight or give up."

Rather than shunning the limelight in the wake of his victory, Mr Mosley seems intent on launching a one-man crusade against "kiss-and-tell" journalism. He also revealed that he was considering setting up a legal fund to be used by other people who felt newspapers had breached their privacy.

"I am the victim of an unlawful act by someone else in the same way as I would be if I was mugged," he said. "The News of the World stole my image and my dignity. I feel very strongly that some newspapers literally ruin people's lives and more has to be done to stop this."