I don't think you did the *wrong* thing, but I think we should always aim to stick to process. The fact that we have processes to delete articles and to remove libelous content (OFFICE) should protect us. If the risk was that great, I'm sure someone in the office would have done something (perhaps you should have e-mailed?).
WP:OFFICE is there is fix problems after we've received complaints. We should be aiming to fix the problems before anyone complains.