Simon Regan
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Simon Regan (7 August 1942 – 8 August 2000) was a British journalist best known for founding ''Scallywag'' magazine, which deliberately took risks with
libellous Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...
articles about public figures. He also worked on the ''
News of the World The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national Tabloid journalism#Red tops, red top Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling En ...
'' and late in his career focused on criminal convictions he believed were miscarriages of
justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...
.


Early life

Regan was born in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, in a home for single mothers. He was brought up in Hampstead in a mansion owned by his grandmother, where many of the rooms were rented out. His parents were supporters of the
Communist Party of Great Britain The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist organisation in Britain and was founded in 1920 through a merger of several smaller Marxist groups. Many miners joined the CPGB in the 1926 general strike. In 1930, the CPG ...
and were visited by many East European intellectuals. Regan attended Haverstock Comprehensive School, and wrote poetry for '' John O'London's Magazine'' while in his teens.


Journalistic career

Having moved to Winchester, Hampshire, Regan became a journalist for a local paper before moving to London as a freelance. In March 1967, the Press Council criticised him for a piece he contributed to '' The Sun'' about a woman who had become pregnant after a sterilization operation."Mixed Verdict on 'No More Babies'", ''The Times'', 30 March 1967. He landed a staff job on the ''News of the World'' in 1967 where he specialised in writing stories exposing
cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...
-taking,
Trotskyite Trotskyism is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Ukrainian-Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky and some other members of the Left Opposition and Fourth International. Trotsky self-identified as an Orthodox Marxism, orthod ...
student conspiracies, a world he was close to as a user of cannabis himself. Despite often attacking senior staff at the ''News of the World'', Regan was popular with readers and wrote his pieces in line with the newspaper's view. He also worked on police corruption stories.


Royal reporter

After leaving the ''News of the World'', Regan wrote biographies. He started with his former proprietor
Rupert Murdoch Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian-born American business magnate. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of local, national, and international publishing outlets around the world, including ...
, and then followed with two royal biographies. A reviewer found the biography of Murdoch "disgracefully ill-written and ill-constructed".Michael Leapman, "Pared-down style", ''The Times'', 29 January 1976, p. 12. ''The Times'' was not then owned by Rupert Murdoch. Regan's biography of
Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...
, "''Charles, The Clown Prince''", was based on letters and paintings by the young Prince which had been stolen from
Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...
, and the Royal solicitors wrote to the publishers to remind them of the law of
Copyright A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, education ...
. His second royal biography, "''Margaret - A Love Story''", claimed to reveal details of
Princess Margaret Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth  ...
's love life. Meanwhile, Regan became a freelance editor and public relations adviser. He founded a journal which he called "Butterfly News", chiefly to attack personal targets including
Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...
, the National Farmers Union and the main figures in
butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...
collecting.


Royal scandal

In April 1981, Regan obtained transcripts of telephone calls made by Prince Charles in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
to
Lady Diana Spencer Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...
, then his fiancée. In addition to revealing their intimate conversation, Charles could be heard making disparaging remarks about
Malcolm Fraser John Malcolm Fraser (; 21 May 1930 – 20 March 2015) was an Australian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Australia from 1975 to 1983, holding office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Fraser was raised on hi ...
, then
Prime Minister of Australia The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister heads the executive branch of the Australian Government, federal government of Australia and is also accountable to Parliament of A ...
, and about some aspects of Australian culture.
Anthony Holden Anthony Holden (born 22 May 1947) is an English writer, broadcaster and critic, particularly known as a biographer of artists including Shakespeare, Tchaikovsky, the essayist Leigh Hunt, the opera librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte and the actor Laurenc ...
, "Palace says tapping of Prince contemptible", ''The Times'', 5 May 1981, p. 1.
They were bought by ''
Die Aktuelle ''Die Aktuelle'' is a German language weekly women's magazine published in Essen, Germany. History and profile ''Die Aktuelle'' has been published since 1979. The magazine is part of Funke Mediengruppe. It is published by Gong Verlag on a weekly ...
'', a German magazine; the Prince and Lady Diana obtained an injunction preventing Regan from disclosing or publishing the contents of the transcripts,"Prince Charles given injunction on telephone tapping", ''The Times'', 7 May 1981, p. 1. but ''Die Aktuelle'' was not affected and published the transcripts on 8 May despite a German court having also injuncted them against publication.Patricia Clough and
Frances Gibb Frances Gibb (born 1951) is a British journalist and the former legal editor of ''The Times''. She retired from the newspaper in February 2019, and continues to write and broadcast on the law, contributing to publications including ''The Times'', ...
, "German weekly prints its version of royal conversations", ''The Times'', 9 May 1981, p. 1.
The Prince's lawyer later insisted that the tapes were forgeries, while Regan insisted they were genuine.


Scallywag

In 1989, Regan founded ''Scallywag'' magazine in South Dorset when the lure of journalism drew him back from his retirement in Butterfly World in Lodmoor Park, Weymouth. Initially, ''Scallywag'' was a local magazine seeking to expose local issues. A recurrent theme was illegal tipping on the nearby Lodmoor
refuse Waste (or wastes) are unwanted or unusable materials. Waste is any substance discarded after primary use, or is worthless, defective and of no use. A by-product, by contrast is a joint product of relatively minor economic value. A waste produ ...
depot, where he accused council staff of taking bribes to allow dangerous chemicals to be tipped. He also claimed widespread police corruption associated with Freemasonry in Dorset and claimed to have been beaten up by two off-duty policemen in College Lane, Weymouth. He also 'named and shamed' people he perceived as being paedophiles. However, like so many of his campaigns, no substantial legally acceptable evidence was ever produced. Regan was inspired by the early years of ''
Private Eye ''Private Eye'' is a British fortnightly satire, satirical and current affairs (news format), current affairs news magazine, founded in 1961. It is published in London and has been edited by Ian Hislop since 1986. The publication is widely r ...
'', but he felt that the ''Eye'' had become too cautious of libel actions and determined not to fall into the same trap. At one difficult time, he sold ''Scallywag'' to a friend, who had no assets, which allowed Regan greater freedom to pursue stories. ''Scallywag'' started to attract a loyal readership, although the major newspaper distributors refused to handle it (a situation Regan regarded as tantamount to
censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...
). Nevertheless, in 1991, ''Scallywag'' moved to London and became a national publication. ''Scallywag'' became a news story in itself in 1993, when it stoked a rumour that
John Major Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997, and as Member of Parliament ...
, then
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
, was having an affair with Clare Latimer, who was a freelance cook who helped with state dinners at
10 Downing Street 10 Downing Street in London, also known colloquially in the United Kingdom as Number 10, is the official residence and executive office of the first lord of the treasury, usually, by convention, the prime minister of the United Kingdom. Along wi ...
. A story in the ''
New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members ...
'' showed how the rumours had been covertly mentioned in mainstream papers. When Major heard of the ''New Statesman'' story, he sued both them and ''Scallywag'' for libel; he also sued the distributors and printers of both papers, which contributed to nearly driving the ''New Statesman'' out of business. Clare Latimer later claimed that "Mr Major used her as a "decoy" to prevent what would have been the more politically damaging exposure of the affair he had with
Edwina Currie Edwina Currie (' Cohen; born 13 October 1946) is a British writer, broadcaster and former politician, serving as Conservative Party Member of Parliament for South Derbyshire from 1983 until 1997. She was a Junior Health Minister for two year ...
from 1984 to 1988.""Major faces action over legal affair"
BBC News, 29 September 2002. ''New Statesman'' editor Peter Wilby said that, had Major's previous adultery been known at the time of the libel case, the outcome may have been different.


Out of business

''Scallywag'' limped on, but a 1994 story about Conservative politician
Julian Lewis Julian Murray Lewis (born 26 September 1951) is a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician serving as the Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP), representing New Forest East (UK Parliament constit ...
led to another series of libel actions, which the magazine lost comprehensively. ''Scallywag'' disappeared from print and moved to a site on the
World Wide Web The World Wide Web (WWW), commonly known as the Web, is an information system enabling documents and other web resources to be accessed over the Internet. Documents and downloadable media are made available to the network through web se ...
instead. Lewis followed and won damages from ''Scallywag''s internet service provider, closing the site down. Regan responded by accusing Lewis of lying, and decided to attempt to sabotage Lewis' campaign in New Forest East where he was the Conservative candidate for the 1997 election. Unfortunately for Regan, Lewis was aware of an obscure section of electoral law and when he obtained a taped confession from Regan that his aim was to cost Lewis votes, Lewis was able to get Regan convicted of spreading false statements about an election candidate.David Hooper,
Reputations Under Fire
: Winners and Losers in the Libel Business" (Little, Brown and Company, London, 2000), pp. 369–71.


Later life

In his final years, Regan devoted himself to propagating his belief that Diana, Princess of Wales, had been killed in a conspiracy. He also set up a website called "Scandals in justice" which sought to expose wrongful convictions, and wrote occasionally for ''The Guardian''. In 2000, he was convicted of "disseminating malicious falsehoods." Regan was married and divorced twice; he had five daughters, one of whom (Charlotte) stood as an
Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...
in the 2001 general election in Regent's Park and Kensington North. He also had a son whom he never met. Regan died after a short illness in 2000.


References

*
Nigel Fountain Nigel Christopher Fountain (born 1944) is a British writer, journalist, editor and broadcaster. He has been a contributor to many publications including ''The Guardian'', ''The Observer'', ''The Sunday Times'', ''New Statesman'', ''The Oldie'', ' ...

Obituary
''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', 14 August 2000. *Simon Regan, ''Rupert Murdoch: a business biography'' (
Angus and Robertson Angus & Robertson (A&R) is a major Australian bookseller, publisher and printer. As book publishers, A&R has contributed substantially to the promotion and development of Australian literature.Alison, Jennifer (2001). "Publishers and editors: A ...
, London, 1976) *Simon Regan, ''Charles, the clown prince'' (Everest, London, 1977) *Simon Regan, ''Margaret: a love story'' (Everest, London, 1977) {{DEFAULTSORT:Regan, Simon 1942 births 2000 deaths British male journalists 20th-century British biographers 20th-century British male writers Male biographers