A libel action launched against the Evening Chronicle in Newcastle, by the chairwoman and managing director of a care home company, has been settled.

Mark McArdle, his mother Helen McArdle and Helen McArdle Care Ltd raised the action against the paper over three articles about the care of an elderly stroke victim.

Martha Pattison had been a resident at Moorfield House in Gosforth and the newspaper questioned the quality of the care she had received there.

It was claimed that the articles that appeared in the Chronicle on May 2, May 28 and August 22, 2002, had been inaccurate and contained defamatory comments.

But after five days the civil action at Newcastle Crown Court - which had been due to go on for another two weeks - was halted, and an undisclosed agreement has now been reached between the two parties.

Following the settlement the Evening Chronicle published a statement clarifying key points from the case.

It also reported comments made by the judge at the end of the case which said: "I have heard evidence from the manager and deputy manager of Moorfield House; I have read the statements of all the other witnesses.

"It is clear to me that the staff at Moorfield House are caring people, who were doing their best in difficult circumstances.

"It is also clear that the Chronicle staff were doing their best to report events which were of obvious public importance to the people of Newcastle.

"Mistakes were made on both sides. It is now time to bring this litigation to an end."

Chronicle editor Paul Robertson said that under the terms of the agreement he was unable to divulge further details about the settlement.

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