BXE -v- Welsh Ministers and Ove Arup (anonymity order)

High CourtKing's Bench Division

Claim number: KB-2023-001553

In the High Court of Justice
King’s Bench Division

7 May 2025

Before:

Her Honour Judge Melissa Clarke
sitting as a Judge of the High Court

Between:

BXE
(by her husband and litigation friend, FXH)

-v-

Welsh Ministers
(First Defendant/Part 20 Claimant)

and

Ove Arup
(Second Defendant/Part 20 Defendant)

Anonymity order

BEFORE HER HONOUR JUDGE MELISSA CLARKE SITTING AS A JUDGE OF THE HIGH COURT AT THE ROYAL COURTS OF JUSTICE, THE STRAND, LONDON

UPON HEARING Counsel for the Claimant, Mr Adam Dawson and Counsel for the First Defendant and Part 20 Claimant, Mr Nicholas David Jones and Leading Counsel for the Second Defendant and Part 20 Defendant, Mr Robert Kellar KC by CVP on 7th May 2025.

AND UPON:
(i) Consideration of the Article 8 rights of the Claimant to respect for private and family life and the Article 10 right to freedom of expression.
(ii) It appearing that non-disclosure of the identity of the Claimant is necessary to secure the proper administration of justice and in order to protect the interests of the Claimant and that there is no sufficient countervailing public interest in disclosure.
(iii) The First and Second Defendants indicating their 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 and CPR Rules 5.4 C, 5.4 D and 39.2 (4).

WHEREAS for the purposes of this Order:
(i) “Publication” includes any speech, writing, broadcast, or other communication in whatever form (including Internet and social media), which is addressed to the public at large or any section of the public.
(ii) Publication for the purposes of this Order includes any further publication (as defined in subparagraph (i) above) from the date of this Order, even if such information is derived from a previous stage or stages of these proceedings.

IT IS ORDERED THAT:

  1. The identity of the Claimant as a party to these proceedings is confidential and shall not be published.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 or address of the Claimant, the Claimant’s Litigation Friend or other immediate family members, or any details (including other names, addresses, or a specific combination of facts) that could lead to the identification of the Claimant in these proceedings. The Claimant and the Litigation Friend shall be referred to as set out at paragraph 3 of this Order.
  3. In any judgement or report of these proceedings, or other publication (by whatever medium) in relation thereto:
    (i) The Claimant shall be referred to as BXE.
    (ii) The Litigation Friend shall be referred to as FXH.
    (iii) Any other details which, on their own or together with other information publicly available, may lead to the identification of the Claimant (including any names of other immediate family members or their addresses) shall be redacted before publication.
  4. Pursuant to CPR Rules 5.4 C and 5.4 D:
    (i) A person who is not a party to the proceedings may not obtain a copy of a Statement of Case, Judgement or Order from the court records unless the Statement of Case, Judgement or Order has been anonymised in accordance with subparagraphs 3 (i) to (iii) above.
    (ii) If a person who is not a party to the proceeding applies (pursuant to CPR R 5.4 C (1B) or (2)) for permission to inspect or obtain a copy of any other documents or communication, such application shall be on at least seven days’ notice to the Claimant’s solicitor, trustee or deputy.
  5. The Claimant’s Solicitor shall file with the court an electronic (PDF) bundle of the statements of case that have been anonymised in accordance with paragraph 3 above by 4pm 5th June 2025.
  6. The court file shall be clearly marked with the words “an Anonymity Order was made in this case on the 7th May 2025 and any application by a non-party to inspect to obtain a copy document from this file must be dealt with in accordance with the terms of that Order”.
  7. 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 seven days’ notice to the Claimant’s solicitor, trustee or deputy.
  8. Pursuant to the “Practice Guidance: Publication of Privacy and Anonymity Orders” issued by the Master 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 e-mail to the Judicial Office at judicialwebupdates@judiciary.uk.
  9. The cost of obtaining this Order be costs in the claim.

Dated: 7th May 2025