EKL -v- Reading Borough Council (anonymity order)

Administrative CourtHigh CourtKing's Bench DivisionAnonymity Order

Claim number: AC-2025-LON-003907

In the High Court of Justice
King’s Bench Division
Administrative Court

12 December 2025

Before:

Susie Alegre sitting as a Deputy Judge of the High Court

Between:

The King on the application of
EKL (by her litigation friend EML)

-v-

Reading Borough Council

and

Brighter Futures for Children Ltd
Guy Brazil – The Claimant’s Guardian at Cafcass
ETL – Claimant’s Mother
‘Unknown Male’ – Claimant’s Father

Order

On an application by the Claimant for permission to apply for judicial review and an application for anonymity

Following consideration of the documents lodged by the Claimant

ORDER BY SUSIE ALEGRE sitting as a DEPUTY JUDGE of THE HIGH COURT

  1. Transfer to the Family Division: The Claim is transferred to the Family Division of the High Court.
  2. The claim should be put before a judge in the Family Division of the High Court as a matter of urgency within 7 days of this order.
  3. Anonymity:
    (a) Pursuant to CPR 39.2(4) and/or the Court’s inherent jurisdiction and/or s. 6 of the Human Rights Act 1998:
    (i) the Claimant’s name is to be withheld from the public and must not be disclosed in any proceedings in public; and
    (ii) the Claimant is to be referred to orally and in writing as EKL, her grandfather and litigation friend to be referred to as EML, her grandmother to be referred to as EMD and her mother to be referred to as ETL.
    (b) Pursuant to s. 11 of the Contempt of Court Act 1981, there must be no publication of the identity of the Claimant or of any matter likely to lead to the identification of the Claimant in any report of, or otherwise in connection with, these proceedings.
    (c) Pursuant to CPR 5.4C(4):
    (i) the parties must within 7 days file a redacted copy of any statement of case filed, omitting the name, address and any other information likely to lead to the identification of the Claimant;
    (ii) if any statement of case subsequently filed includes information likely to lead to the identification of the Claimant, a redacted copy omitting that information must be filed at the same time;
    (iii) unless the Court grants permission under CPR 5.4C(6), no non-party many obtain a copy of any unredacted statement of case.
    (d) Any person wishing to vary or discharge this Order must make an application, served on each party.

Reasons

(1) Transfer of proceedings: The claim relates to the care of a child and is not a matter for the Administrative Court therefore I transfer it to the family division. It appears the claim was considered by a judge on 7 November 2025 but no action was taken and no order made. This has led to significant delay in consideration of the claim and the papers should be put before a judge in the Family Division as a matter of urgency to make appropriate directions to progress the matter.
(2) Anonymity: The Claimant is a child and the claim involves sensitive information about her. There are accordingly compelling reasons for the limited derogations from the principle of open justice in paragraph 1.