Lawyers who acted for rugby player Paddy Jackson in the Belfast rape trial are threatening to sue ex-Ireland captain Rory Best.

Partners in a solicitors firm and two barristers claim the retired sportsman libelled them during a radio interview he gave earlier this year, in which he expressed regret at having attended the trial.

Mr Best had agreed to appear as a character witness for his former Ulster and Ireland teammate Mr Jackson, who was ultimately cleared of raping a 19-year-old woman.

However, his presence in court on the first day of her evidence caused a major backlash, including an online campaign to have him dropped as Irish captain.

He attended the trial just days before Ireland played a crucial Six Nations match against France, prompting a series of questions for the IRFU and then head coach, Joe Schmidt.

Despite the furore, Mr Best was afforded a hero's send-off after his final home game in an Irish jersey at the Aviva Stadium last September.

He has rarely spoken about the controversy, but discussed it in an interview on Newstalk's 'Off the Ball' in January.

During the interview, Mr Best expressed regret for attending the high-profile trial and said it was never his intention "to cause any more distress on what was already a very difficult day for that poor girl anyway".

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However, other comments made during the course of the interview have now resulted in the former Ireland hooker receiving legal correspondence from solicitors acting on behalf of partners at Belfast law firm KRW Law and two barristers, claiming he libelled them. KRW Law and barristers Brendan Kelly QC and Stephen Toal BL represented Mr Jackson.

It is understood that correspondence was issued on their behalf by defamation lawyer Paul Tweed.

A number of media organisations who published extracts from the interview have also been contacted about the matter.

Mr Best did not ultimately give character evidence at the trial, which ran for 42 days at Belfast Crown Court in early 2018. In his soon to be published autobiography, Mr Best said he did not hesitate after Mr Jackson phoned him a week before the trial and asked him to be a character witness.

"My focus was on supporting my friend. I had not thought I would upset anyone by attending court. The scale of the blowback that would follow my visit to the court was a huge shock. I didn't really understand the complexity of the situation," he wrote.

A jury unanimously cleared Mr Jackson of rape and assault charges. His former Ulster team-mate, Stuart Olding, was also found not guilty of rape.

Their friend, Blane McIlroy, was found not guilty of exposure. A fourth accused, their friend Rory Harrison, was found not guilty of concealing evidence and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

The case sparked considerable public debate on both sides of the border over how rape cases are conducted.

Protests took place in Belfast, Dublin and Cork after the verdicts, with concerns being expressed at how the complainant was treated.

Even though complainants are granted anonymity, members of the public are allowed in to rape trials in Northern Ireland while they are under way, and the complainant in the case was identified on social media.

In contrast, rape trials in the Republic of Ireland are considered to be held "otherwise than in public", with only certain categories of people allowed to attend.

A subsequent review, led by a former Lord Justice of Appeal, Sir John Gillen, recommended banning the public from trials of serious sexual offences in Northern Ireland.

It concluded the families of those involved should still be allowed to attend, along with members of the press.

The review recommended victims of serious sexual offences be offered legal representation in some cases and juries should undergo training before the start of a trial to ensure they are aware of pervasive rape myths.

However, Lord Gillen was not persuaded defendants should retain anonymity, as they do in rape trials in the Republic of Ireland. The review findings have yet to be implemented.

Belfast Telegraph