FGW -v- Secretary of State for the Home Department (anonymity order)

Administrative CourtHigh Court

Case number: AC-2025-BHM-000420

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

In the matter of an application for judicial review

6 January 2026

Before:

HHJ Tindal
(sitting as a Judge of the High Court)

Between:

The King
on the application of
FGW

-v-

Secretary of State for the Home Department

Order

Notification of the Judge’s decision on the application for expedition

After consideration of the documents lodged by the Claimant

ORDER by HHJ Tindal (Sitting as a Judge of the High Court)

  1. Pursuant to CPR 39.2(4)) and the Court’s inherent jurisdiction:
    a. No person shall identify the Claimant in connection with these proceedings. The Claimant shall be referred to as FGW.
    b. A non-party may not obtain or inspect a copy of any Statement of Case or any other document filed with the Court and to which a non-party may have access pursuant to CPR 5.4A-D or otherwise, unless it has been produced or edited so as to comply with para.1 of this Order and/or any subsequent direction made by the Court.
    c. Anyone affected by the terms of this Order shall have permission to apply to vary or set aside any part of it, on 3 working days’ notice to the Claimant’s solicitors.
  2. Time for the Defendant to file an Acknowledgement of Service is extended to 4pm on 19th January 2026.
  3. Time for the Claimant to file any Reply is extended to 26th January 2026.
  4. The Claimant’s application for interim relief is adjourned until permission.
  5. Costs in the Case

Reasons

  1. The Claimant claims to be an Eritrean national born on 17th October 2007 who arrived in the UK unlawfully in December 2024. However, on 1st October 2025 the Defendant assessed that the Claimant was an adult (and shortly afterwards, refused his asylum claim). The Claimant challenges the age assessment decision in part on the basis that it did not take into account the fact that a decision has been made there are reasonable grounds to consider the Claimant to be a victim of trafficking; and that he has been assessed by a Psychiatrist as suffering from PTSD due to his experiences. On 12th December 2025, the Defendant declined to amend its decision and on 19th December 2025 the Claimant issued the present claim, seeking anonymity, expedition and interim relief.
  2. I will grant the Claimant’s applications for anonymity and expedition allowing for Christmas (as he is now an adult even on his own case, there is no need for a Litigation Friend), although I will also provide for a Reply.  
  3. Whilst there is no threshold of a strong prima facie case for interim relief (c.f. Derby CC v UYR [2025] EWCA Civ 1648), it is clearly appropriate to give the Defendant an opportunity to respond before considering such relief alongside permission / transfer to the Upper Tribunal.

Signed HHJ Tindal