FHK -v- Cambridgeshire County Council (anonymity order)

Administrative CourtHigh CourtKing's Bench DivisionAnonymity Order

Case number: AC-2026-LON-001083

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

In the matter of an application for judicial review

18 May 2026

Before:

Mr CMG Ockelton
sitting as a Judge of the High Court

Between:

The King
on the application of
FHK
(by her litigation friend, FMA)

-v-

Cambridgeshire County Council

Order

On an application by the Claimant for anonymity and expedition

Following consideration of the documents lodged by the Claimant

ORDER BY MR CMG OCKELTON SITTING AS A JUDGE OF THE HIGH COURT

  1. Litigation friend: The claimant’s mother is appointed as her litigation friend
  2. 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 FHK and her mother as FMA
    (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.
  3. Abridgement of time and expedition:
    (a) The Defendant’s Acknowledgement of Service (CPR 54.8) must be filed and served at the latest within 14 days of the date of service of this Order
    (b) Any Reply from the Claimant (CPR 54.8A) must be filed and served within 7 days thereafter
    (c) The papers are to be referred to a judge or deputy judge as soon as possible thereafter.

REASONS

(1) Anonymity: The Claimant is child and relies on personal and medical information in which she has a reasonable expectation of privacy. There are accordingly compelling reasons for the limited derogations from the principle of open justice in paragraph 1.

(2) Abridgement of time/expedition: It is not easy to see how this claim has progressed (or failed to progress). The claimant’s papers appear to have been completed on 10 February 2026, but were not filed until 5 March, which does not suggest any feeling of urgency from the claimant’s side. On the latter date, however, the claimant sought an order allowing the defendant only until the following day to file its Acknowledgment of Service (although the claimant was to have a further three days to reply) and ‘a hearing’ by 22 March. That application, with the application for permission, has been referred to me only today, 14 May. Despite the passage of time since the filing and issue of the proceedings, there does not appear to be an Acknowledgment of Service. That raises queries about whether the proceedings have been properly served on the defendant.

(3) In these circumstances the Order above appears appropriate. The requirement on the defendant to file and serve an Acknowledgement of Service is not intended to inhibit it from making any submission as to whether service has been effected. If in fact, unknown to me, the proceedings were duly served and either there has been an Acknowledgment of Service or time has expired, paragraph 3(c) has effect immediately.

Signed: CMG Ockelton