In October 2018 Newsquest paid "a substantial sum" in compensation and legal costs to a Shoreham businessman whom the Argus had wrongly claimed was connected with the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing and falsely alleged was an "ISIS sympathiser". The complainant's barrister asserted that he had been caused "very great distress, anxiety and damage to his reputation". Following the High Court verdict, a Newsquest representative admitted the report was "wholly false" and apologised.