The Scotsman reports:
‘The Manchester United and England footballer Wayne Rooney could be the star witness in a libel trial after a grandmother denied sleeping with him for money and launched legal action against the Sun newspaper yesterday. The newspaper claimed in August last year that Patricia Tierney, a 50-year-old grandmother of 16, had sex with Rooney at a Liverpool massage parlour.
‘But Mrs. Tierney, of Whiston, Merseyside, claims she only worked at the parlour for three weeks as a part-time receptionist, and has never worked as a prostitute. Rooney, 19, who signed for Manchester United in a £27 million deal, admitted sleeping with prostitutes after an article was printed in the Sunday Mirror newspaper. He released a statement saying he had been "young and stupid".
‘The Sunday Mirror article did not name any prostitutes, but Mrs. Tierney was named and photographed by the Sun, in a front-page story headlined "Don't Fancy Yours Much Wayne" last August. She was identified by the Sun as a prostitute known as "Auld Slapper".
‘Mrs. Tierney has since tried to disguise herself by dyeing her hair. Her solicitor, David Kirwan, said the allegations had destroyed his "blameless" client's life and caused her grandchildren to be bullied. He said: "These utterly false and damaging allegations in the Sun have had a massive impact on my client's life and that of her family. These dreadful allegations have left her on anti-depressants and barely able to set foot outside of her own home.
"Mrs Tierney is a married woman, mother of seven children and grandmother of 16. She is not a prostitute and has never been a prostitute, as the Sun alleged."
‘Campbell Deane, a leading Scottish media lawyer, said: "They have described her as a prostitute but there is a big difference between being an adulteress and being a prostitute.
"If she said she never slept with him that would make the damages even higher. I doubt the Sun would settle out of court. Wayne Rooney giving evidence in court is fantastic for them. They can dredge up things about hitting Coleen and all of that. The story is out and they will be standing by it."’