Gerry Adams, 76, claimed a BBC Spotlight programme and an online article published in 2016 defamed him by falsely accusing him of sanctioning the murder of British informant Denis Donaldson.

Former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has been awarded €100,000 (£84,000) in damages after winning his defamation action against the BBC.

The 76-year-old had claimed a BBC Spotlight programme and an online article published in 2016 defamed him by alleging he sanctioned the murder of former Sinn Fein official Denis Donaldson, for which he denies any involvement.

A jury at the High Court in Dublin found in his favour on Friday after determining that was the meaning of words included in the programme and article.

It also found the BBC's actions were not in good faith and the corporation had not acted in a fair and reasonable way.

Mr Donaldson, 55, was shot dead at a cottage near Glenties, County Donegal in 2006, months after being exposed as a British agent.

The dissident republican group the Real IRA claimed responsibility for the killing in 2009 and a Garda investigation is ongoing.

During the civil defamation trial, Mr Adams claimed the Spotlight programme was an "attempted hatchet job" that was "full of inaccuracies".