Man suing over 'coward punch' report
A young Englishman is suing for defamation over the use of the term "coward punch" in a news report on his being acquitted of assaulting Australia's former rugby sevens captain.
A magistrate in September found Sam Oliver had acted in self-defence when he punched Olympian James "Chucky" Stannard, 35, outside a Sydney kebab shop in the early hours of March 30, 2018.
Mr Oliver is now suing the Nine Network in the Federal Court over its TV news report of the case, which had the caption "No Penalty" and began with the newsreader saying "it was a coward punch that ended the career" of Stannard.
