A man who was reported to have been involved in a plan to kidnap Victoria Beckham has accepted an apology and libel damages at London's Court of Appeal today.
Bogdan Stefan Maris, also known as Alin Turcu, took a case after stories in the News of the World and The Sun linked him to an alleged kidnap plot.
The story in the News of the World was headlined 'Posh Kidnap', while the article in The Sun had the title 'Becks Calls In An Army'.
Maris took an unsuccessful High Court case two years ago, claiming that he was libelled by the stories, which linked him to a kidnap plan.
An appeal against the High Court ruling was due to begin this week but a lawyer for Maris has now confirmed that the papers' publishers acknowledged that he was not involved in the plot and apologised to him publicly.
The publishers, News Group Newspapers Ltd, also agreed to make a "modest donation" to a charity of Maris' choice and pay a contribution to his legal costs.
Maris released a statement saying: "I am just very relieved that after almost five years the News of the World has finally accepted that I was not part of any plot to kidnap Victoria Beckham."
