FMR -v- Derby City Council (anonymity order)

Administrative CourtHigh CourtKing's Bench DivisionAnonymity Order

Claim number: AC-2025-BHM-000352

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:

Mr Jonathan Glasson KC,
sitting as a Deputy Judge of the High Court

Between:

The King
on the application of
FMR

-v-

Derby City Council

Order

On an application by the Claimant for interim relief and permission for judicial review

Following consideration of the documents lodged by the Claimant, the Defendant’s Acknowledgement of Service and Summary Grounds

ORDER BY MR JONATHAN GLASSON KC
SITTING AS A DEPUTY JUDGE OF THE HIGH COURT

  1. 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 FMR.

(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.

  1. Requirement for a litigation friend

    The application to dispense with the requirement of a litigation friend is granted.

  2. Permission and interim relief

    The application for permission and interim relief is adjourned to be determined after a hearing to be listed in the week commencing 19 January 2026 with a time estimate of one hour (to include submissions by the parties and an oral judgment by the judge).
  1. Case management directions:
    (a) If either party consider that the time estimate in paragraph 1 should be revised, then they should inform the Court as soon as possible and in any event by 4pm Friday 9 January 2026.
    (b) The Claimant must file and serve a skeleton argument (maximum 10 pages) by 4pm Monday 12 January 2026.
    (c) The Defendant must file and serve a skeleton argument (maximum 10 pages) by 4pm Thursday 15 January 2026.

REASONS

Anonymity

(1) The Claimant is an asylum seeker and has applied for anonymity “to protect the Claimant from any violation of his privacy in personal matters concerning immigration status and destitution”. I am satisfied that the limited derogation is justified in this case but I have in any event provided that an application may be made to vary or to discharge it.

Dispensing with the requirement for a litigation friend

(2) The Claimant has applied pursuant to CPR r21.2(3) that he may be permitted to conduct proceedings without a litigation friend. The Claimant is, on his own account, 17 years old and will be 18 on 19 January 2026. His legal representatives are satisfied that the Claimant is able to understand and consider the advice given and to offer appropriate instructions. In those circumstances I am content to dispense with the requirement for a litigation friend.

Adjournment of permission and application for interim relief to a hearing

(3) In my judgment the Court would be assisted by oral argument, particularly in relation to where the balance of convenience/balance of justice and injustice lies, applying the principles set out by the Court of Appeal in Derby City Council v R (UYR) [2025] EWCA Civ 1648. That is particularly so given that, on the Claimant’s account, he will shortly be 18 years of age. I have therefore adjourned the application for permission and for interim relief to a hearing and I have set case management directions leading to such a hearing.

Signed: JONATHAN GLASSON KC
Date: 6 JANUARY 2026