Allegations of sexual misconduct against Noel Clarke published in the Guardian have left the actor a “casualty” of a media “purge” following the emergence of the MeToo movement, the High Court has heard.

But a lawyer for the newspaper said its investigation into the actor was “careful and thorough” with information “from a wide range of sources with direct evidence of misconduct”.

Clarke, 49, has claimed there is a conspiracy of people with financial and personal grudges against him who engineered his downfall because they could not bear to see him receive a Bafta award.