ACY and other -v- The Welsh Minister

High CourtKing's Bench DivisionAnonymity Order

Claim Number: AC-2023-CDF-000107

In The High Court Of Justice
King’s Bench Division

5 October 2023

Before:
Mr Justice Eyre

Between:
ACY
BGD
-v-
The Welsh Minister

Order

On an application by the Claimants for anonymisation and related orders.
Following consideration of the documents lodged by the Claimants

ORDER by the Honourable Mr Justice Eyre

  1. The Claimants’ names are to be withheld from the public and must not be disclosed in any proceedings in open court.
  2. The name of the Claimants’ witness the provider of a witness statement dated 5th September 2023 is to be withheld from the public and must not be disclosed in any proceedings in open court.
  3. The Claimants’ are permitted to issue these proceedings naming them as ACY and BGD respectively and giving an address care of the Claimants’ solicitors.
  4. There are to be substituted for all purposes in these proceedings in place of references to the Claimants and to the said witness by name and whether orally or in writing references to ACY, BGD, and CWS
    respectively.
  5. Pursuant to section 11 of the Contempt of Court Act 1981 there must be no publication of the identity of either Claimant or of the said witness or of any matter likely to lead to the identification of any of those
    persons in any report of, or otherwise in connexion with, these proceedings.
  6. Pursuant to CPR 5.4C(4):
    a) The parties must when filing any statement of case or witness statement also file a redacted copy of that statement of case or witness statement omitting the name, address, and any other information which could lead to the identification of either of the Claimants or of the said witness.
    b) Unless the court grants permission under CPR 5.4C(6) no nonparty may obtain an unredacted copy of any such statement of case or witness statement.
  7. Costs reserved.
  8. Any party wishing to apply to vary or discharge this order must do so by application to the court served on the Claimants and the Defendant.

    Reasons
    I have regard to the particular importance of the principle of public justice. I am nonetheless satisfied that it is necessary to anonymise the names of the Claimants and of the witness in question and to prohibit
    publication of their identifies. This is because publication of the names of those persons would lead to public knowledge of the personal circumstances of the children concerned. Those circumstances include the financial standing of their families and other intimate personal matters. The disclosure of the fact that such information relates to the particular children has the potential to cause harm to those children and would amount to an interference with their Convention rights not warranted by the interest in public justice and which is not needed for adequate public understanding of the case.