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Well-known Burgau pub landlord Robert
(Rotten) Hurst has come out in print
over the latest lunatic “revelations” in
the British press linking his business
with the disappearance of Madeleine
McCann and recently-outed alleged
paedophile Clement Freud.
According to the Sun, the Daily Mail and
the Daily Star, Freud was a regular at
the Pig’s Head and he used to drink
there with “former Madeleine McCann
suspect” Robert Murat.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
In fact Clement Freud only once stepped
inside the Pig’s Head “over 20 years
ago”, and Robert Murat similarly, “about
eight years ago”.
It is hard to see which article is the
most “factually ridiculous”.
The Sun’s goes furthest perhaps,
describing the much-loved watering hole
as a “pub for paedos”.
“It’s absolute lunacy,” Hurst told the
Resident. “It wasn’t even an interview.
Two people came in and had a drink, and
then asked me a few questions as they
were leaving.”
Reacting to the “exclusive” run by the
Sun, Hurst wrote on the paper’s website:
“As the landlord of the Pig’s Head, I
can categorically state that this story
is factually ridiculous. When asked if
Clement Freud had been a regular in the
pub, I told them he had been here once
at least 20 years ago. Further, when
asked about Robert Murat, I told them he
had also been here once about eight
years ago. How they managed to connect
the two of them is another piece of
nonsense… This kind of irresponsible
journalism can do no good whatsoever for
anyone. Heaven only knows what kind of
feeding frenzy will be unleashed next
year on the 10th anniversary.”
Hurst did, however, have one memory of
Clement Freud’s visit to his
establishment.
“He came in with a friend, who asked me
whether we had any champagne,” he told
the Resident.
“I said that we didn’t. He asked me ‘why
ever not’, in a superior kind of way. I
said because it might attract the wrong
kind of clientele.”
Hurst claims “no one believes a word” of
the latest stories, yet they even get a
mention in national press today, under
the headline: “Freud and Murat in the
same bar.”
Considering the differing time-lines,
this could be construed as ‘true’ if
hugely misleading.
But the affirmations in all three
British papers that both men were on
“nodding terms” appear as bogus as the
claims that Murat had anything to do
with Madeleine’s disappearance.
Readers will remember that Murat won
record damages from four British
newspaper groups for slurs written
against him.
The Sun, Star and Mail are all
properties of the groups that were also
forced to make public apologies.
Speaking outside the High Court in
London eight years ago, Louis
Charalambous, Murat’s lawyer, described
the behaviour of tabloid journalists and
editors involved in the slurs as
“grossly irresponsible”, saying they had
shown a “reckless disregard for the
truth”. |
