The police officer at the centre of the notorious Downing Street 'Plebgate' incident has accepted £80,000 damages in settlement of his libel action against former chief whip Andrew Mitchell. The conclusion of Pc Toby Rowland's defamation case against the MP was announced at the High Court in London today. Last November Mr Mitchell, who vehemently denied using the word 'pleb', lost a high-profile action against News Group Newspapers, publishers of the Sun. Scroll down for video . Former government chief whip Andrew Mitchell, left, has agreed to pay Pc Toby Rowland, right, £80,000 in damages after the Conservative MP accused the police officer of lying in connection with Plebgate . Mr Mitchell wanted to be allowed to use the main vehicle gates at Downing Street with his bicycle . Mr Mitchell denied using the word 'pleb' but a High Court judge later accepted that he probably did . A judge then declared he had reached the 'firm conclusion' that Mr Mitchell had used the 'politically-toxic' word in September 2012 when he was not allowed to cycle through the main Downing Street vehicle gates. Pc Rowland's lawyer, Jeremy Clarke-Williams, told Mr Justice Warby that since that judgment Mr Mitchell 'has abandoned the other defences he had raised to my client's claim and consequently terms of settlement have been agreed'. The solicitor added: 'The payment of £80,000 damages by Mr Mitchell sets the seal on Pc Rowland's vindication, as well as providing compensation for the injury to his reputation and the distress caused to him and his family over many months.' Neither Mr Mitchell nor Pc Rowland was in court. Mr Clarke-Williams told the judge: 'Pc Rowland never felt that the events in Downing Street were anything more than a minor incident. 'He was not responsible for the publicity which followed and would have much preferred that the whole matter had never entered the public domain. 'He now simply wishes to be left in peace to continue his police career.' Andrew Mitchell, pictured, wanted to be routinely allowed through the main vehicle gate at Downing Street . Mr Clarke-Williams said Pc Rowland, a Metropolitan Police officer of 'long standing', is a member of the Diplomatic Protection Group whose duties include the security of Downing Street. Giving the background to the case, he said: 'The events which gave rise to this litigation have received so much publicity that I need say relatively little about them.' Pc Rowland 'was the officer who let Andrew Mitchell MP, together with his bicycle, out of the pedestrian gate from Downing Street into Whitehall' on the evening of September 19 2012. 'What exactly Mr Mitchell said to Pc Rowland as he left Downing Street became the crux of the so-called 'Plebgate' controversy,' the lawyer said. Two days after the incident 'Mr Mitchell phoned Pc Rowland and apologised to him for his behaviour at the gates'. Mr Clarke-Williams added: 'Pc Rowland accepted that apology and wishes that had been the end of the matter. 'However, unfortunately the conduct of other officers which Pc Rowland regarded as totally unacceptable led to an intensive police investigation, known as Operation Alice, within which all the relevant CCTV footage of the incident in Downing Street was examined, and PC Rowland was twice interviewed at some length.' On Saturday December 22 2012 Pc Rowland was 'identified by name and photograph in the Mail Online website, and then in the Mail on Sunday newspaper the next day, as the police officer who had dealt with Mr Mitchell at the gates of Downing Street' on September 19. 'Consequently, all the accusations made after that date by Mr Mitchell about the police officer who dealt with him were understood to refer to Pc Rowland.' The solicitor continued: 'My client had hoped that Operation Alice would serve to vindicate him and so stayed his hand on any action against Mr Mitchell until the announcement of the result by the DPP, Ms Alison Saunders, on November 26 2013. 'Her statement said that whilst a number of officers were to face - and were subsequently convicted of - criminal and disciplinary charges, the position of Pc Rowland was quite different. 'The DPP stated that there was no evidence to justify proceedings against him.' Mr Clarke-Williams added: 'However, on the very same day as the DPP's announcement, Mr Mitchell held a televised press conference accusing Pc Rowland of having lied in his account of what Mr Mitchell had said at the gates of Downing Street and implying he should have been prosecuted. 'These allegations comprehensively undermined the vindication of Pc Rowland by Operation Alice. 'It left Pc Rowland with no option but to bring these defamation proceedings.' The trial in November took place before Mr Justice Mitting to 'establish precisely what had been said at the Downing Street gates in the exchange between Pc Rowland and Mr Mitchell'. Mr Clarke-Williams told Mr Justice Warby that Mr Justice Mitting had reached the 'firm conclusion' that Mr Mitchell had spoken the words alleged 'or something so close to them as to amount to the same', including the politically-toxic word pleb. The lawyer said: 'This judgment put the true position beyond argument.' It is understood that the issue of legal costs has yet to be determined. Mr Mitchell has already paid the £80,000 damages to Mr Rowland. He has also been ordered to pay £325,000 in legal costs prior to a full hearing on the issue. It is understood that Mr Mitchell's legal team will enter negotiations with the lawyers representing Pc Rowland and The Sun before a court ruling on costs which could exceed £1million. September 19, 2012: Then government chief whip Andrew Mitchell has a row with police officers at the gate of Downing Street after they would not allow him to cycle through the main vehicle entrance. September 20: Newspaper reports claim that Mr Mitchell swore at the officers at the gate and called them 'plebs' who should know their place. September 21: Andrew Mitchell denies using the word pleb but apologises for not showing proper respect. September, 24: The political scandal grows as Mr Mitchell further denies using 'the words that have been attributed' to him. September 25: A leaked police log seems to contradict Mr Mitchell's interpretation of events. October 7: West Midlands Police Federation representatives appear at the Conservative Party Conference wearing Pc Pleb t-shirts, protesting against cuts. October 12: Mr Mitchell meets three representatives of the Police Federation who claim that Mr Mitchell had not disclosed the exact words he had used during the confrontation. October 17: Prime Minister David Cameron gives Andrew Mitchell a vote of confidence said he should be able to carry on as chief whip. October 19:Mr Mitchell resigns. December 16: A member of the Metropolitan Police's diplomatic protection group is arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. December 18: Channel 4 releases CCTV footage from Downing Street which seems to conflict with the version of events in the police log. December 19: The Metropolitan Police begins investigating whether officers gave false evidence, leading to Operation Alice, which saw the arrest of five officers. December 22: Pc Toby Rowland is identified by MailOnline as the officer who had been on the gate when the incident happened. March 7, 2013: Andrew Mitchell lodges papers to sue The Sun over its 'Plebgate' story. October 16: David Cameron announces that Mr Mitchell is due an apology by the police. October 21: Three police federation representatives apologise for misleading the media following their meeting in October 2012. November 26, Pc Keith Wallis is charged with misconduct in public office after he contacted his MP to falsely claim that he had witnessed the Plebgate incident. December 4: Pc Toby Rowland, who was on duty at the time of Plebgate announced that he was going to sue Mr Mitchell over various claims he had made in the media. February 26, 2014: The Metropolitan Police sacks Pc Keith Wallis and Pc James Glanville for gross misconduct in connection with the affair. April / May: Pc Gillian Weatherley and Pc Susan Johnson are also sacked by the Met for leaking details of Plebgate to the press. November 27: Andrew Mitchell loses his libel case against The Sun and is faced with costs of more than £300,000. March 4, 2015: Pc Toby Rowland settles his libel case against Andrew Mitchell after the MP drops several parts of his defence following his own defeat in the High Court in November. Mr Mitchell agrees to pay Pc Rowland £80,000. It is understood that the issue of costs will be determined at a later date.
Pc Toby Rowland accepted an £80,000 offer from Tory MP Andrew Mitchell . Mr Mitchell claimed that Pc Rowland should be prosecuted over Plebgate . Pc Rowland had been interviewed at length and cleared of any wrongdoing . He sued the former chief whip for defamation in the High Court . Mr Mitchell lost his own libel case against The Sun newspaper last year . It is understood that the issue of legal costs has still to be determined .