BTR -v- Manchester City Council (anonymity order)

County CourtAnonymity Order

Claim number: 152DC833

In the County Court at Liverpool

11 June 2025

Before:

District Judge Colvin

Between:

BTR

-v-

Manchester City Council

Order

Before District Judge Colvin sitting at the County Court at Liverpool, Liverpool, Civil And Family Courts, 35 Vernon Street, Liverpool, L2 2BX by telephone

Upon hearing counsel, Miss Deborah Davies for the Claimant and Brian Collins, Costs Lawyer for the Defendant.

And upon:
(1) Consideration of Section 1 of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992.
(2) Consideration of the Article 8 rights of the Claimant to respect for private and family life and the Article 10 rights to freedom of expression.
(3) It is appearing that non-disclosure of the identity of the Claimant is necessary in order to protect the interests of the Claimant and that there is no sufficient countervailing public interest in disclosure.
(4) The Defendant indicating its neutrality to the making of the order and there being no representations from the press or any other interested party.

AND pursuant to section 6 of the Human Rights Act 1998, section 11 of the Contempt of Court Act 1981 and CPR rules 5.4C, 5.4D and 39.2(4).

IT IS ORDERED:

Anonymity of the Claimant

  1. The identity of the Claimant as a party to these proceedings is protected and shall not be published.
  2. Pursuant to CPR Rule 39 .2( 4 ), there shall not be disclosed in any report of these proceedings or other publication the name and address of the Claimant or other immediate family members, or any details (including other names, other addresses, that could lead to the identification of BTR as the Claimant in these proceedings. The Claimant shall be referred to as set out at paragraph 3 of this order.
  3. In any judgment or report of these proceedings, or other publication (by whatever medium) in relation thereto:
    (i) The Claimant shall be referred to as BTR.
    (ii) Any other details liable to lead to the identification of the Claimant (including any names of other immediate family members or their addresses) shall be redacted before publication.
  4. Insofar as is necessary, any statement of case or other document disclosing the Claimant’s name or address or the name or address of any other immediate family members already filed in the proceedings shall be replaced by a document describing such name or address in an anonymised or redacted form as the case may be.
  5. The original of any such document is to be placed on the Court file in a sealed envelope marked “Not to be opened without the permission of a Judge or District Judge.”
  6. Pursuant to CPR Rules 5.4C and 5.4D:
    (i) A person who is not a party to the proceedings may not obtain a copy of a statement of case, judgment or order from the Court records unless the statement of case, judgment or order has been anonymised in accordance with sub-paragraph 3(i) and 3(ii) above.
    (ii) If a person who is not a party to the proceedings applies (pursuant to CPR Rule 5.4C(1B) or (2)) for permission to inspect or obtain a copy of any other document or communication, such application shall be on at least 7 days’ notice to the Claimant’s solicitor.
  7. The Court file shall be clearly marked with the words “An anonymity order was made in this case on 27th May 2025 and any application by a non-party to inspect or obtain a copy document from this file must be dealt with in accordance with the terms of that order.”
  8. Any interested party, whether or not a party to the proceedings, may apply to the Court to vary or discharge this order, provided that any such application is made on notice to the Claimant’s solicitor and that 7 days’ prior notice of the intention to make such an application is given.
  9. Pursuant to the ‘Practice Guidance: Publication of Privacy and Anonymity Orders’ issued by the Master of the Rolls dated 16th April 2019 a copy of this order shall be published on the Judicial Website of the High Court of Justice (www.judiciary.uk). for that purpose, a court officer will send a copy of the order by email to the Judicial Office at judicialwebupdates@judiciary.uk.
  10. Reporting restrictions apply as to the disclosing of any information that may lead to the subsequent identification of the Claimant.
  11. The costs in this Anonymity Order be costs in the case.