'Enders' Gus refutes 'woman beater' claim

Former EastEnders actor Mohammed George has started libel action against The Sun after the tabloid reportedly called him a "woman beater".

The BBC reports that George, who played Gus Smith in the soap, alleges that his acting prospects were "damaged" by the paper's report, which came in the wake of his 2006 arrest for common assault against his then-girlfriend Emma Archibald.

The Sun is contesting the 26-year-old actor's claim.

George's lawyer, Ronald Thwaites QC, told the High Court: "In a nutshell, the allegation against him is that he flew into a rage in the street in the early hours of the morning of 3 December, 2006, and beat up his then girlfriend and mother of his daughter, acting like a wild animal and leaving her sprawling in the street when he ran away. He says this is completely untrue, a false picture."

Thwaites told the court that George admitted that he hit Ms Archibald with a rubbish bag which had split open, for which he accepted a police caution for common assault.

Questioned by his lawyer, George told the court that he does not have a short fuse and described himself as a "very sensitive person". He added that there was "no way" that he was someone who was prepared to hit women. The case continues.