LAT1-11 -v- The Ministry of Defence (anonymity order)

High CourtKing's Bench DivisionAnonymity Order

Claim number: KB-2024-000620

In the High Court of Justice
King’s Bench Division

17 October 2025

Before:

Master Armstrong

Between:

LAT1-11

-v-

The Ministry of Defence

Anonymity order

UPON the Claimants having issued the Claim Form on 6 February 2024, an Amended Claim Form on 2 May 2024 and a further Amended Claim Form dated 15 May 2025;

AND UPON the Claimants’ application for an anonymity order by Application Notice dated 30 May 2025;

BEFORE Master Armstrong sitting on 17 October 2025 by Microsoft Teams;

AND UPON hearing Ms Badham of Counsel for the Claimants and Ms McNeill of Counsel for the Defendant;

IT IS ORDERED THAT:

Private Hearing

  1. The hearing was heard in private pursuant to CPR 39.2(3). The court was satisfied that to hold the hearing in public would defeat the object of the hearing.

Temporary Anonymity Order

  1. The court considers that:

a. the Action is one likely to attract publicity;

b. there is a risk that revealing the identity of 11 individual Claimants who are part of this group action is likely to damage the interest of the Claimants and risk their security;

c. there is a risk that publicly revealing the nature and type of tasks and duties the 11 individual Claimants were engaged in on behalf of the Defendant may cause damage to national security;

d. non-disclosure of the identity of the 11 individual Claimants is necessary at this stage to secure the proper administration of justice and in order to protect the interests of the Defendant and that there is no sufficient countervailing public interest in disclosure; and

pursuant to Section 11 of Contempt of Court Acts 1981, Rules 5.4 and 39.2 of the Civil Procedure Rules 1998 and the inherent jurisdiction of the Court;

IT IS ORDERED BY CONSENT that:

  1. The Claimant is granted permission to amend the Schedule list of Claimants on the Court file and to file an amended list so that the 11 identified Claimants have anonymity with their name and service numbers removed from the list. There is to be substituted for all purposes in these proceedings in place of references to the 11 identified Claimants by name, and whether orally or in writing, cyphers LAT1 – LAT11.
  2. The Claimants shall be collectively referred to as Claimants LAT1-11. The address for Claimants referred to as Claimants LAT1-11 shall be the Solicitors for the Claimants.
  3. The Court shall mark the following documents on the Court file (paper and e file) as confidential, and they may not be accessed. The Court will notify the parties, by email, when this has been completed:

a. Claim Form filed on 29 February 2024;
b. Amended Claim From filed 13 May 2024;
c. Particulars of Claim and Appendix A filed 20 June 2024;
d. Further Amended Claim Form and Schedule dated 15 May 2025;
e. Hearing bundle filed on 16 October 2025.

  1. Within 14 days of receiving the aforementioned email from the court, the Claimant shall file the further Amended Claim form and Schedule of Claimants (as referenced in paragraph 3), Particulars of Claim and suitably redacted hearing bundle with the Court.
  2. Pursuant to CPR 39.2(4), there shall not be disclosed in any proceedings in open court, or in any judgment or report of these proceedings, the names or addresses of Claimants LAT1-11 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 these individuals as Claimants in these proceedings. The Claimants shall be referred to as set out at paragraph 3 of this Order.
  3. Pursuant to s.11 Contempt of Court Act 1981, there must be no publication of the identity of Claimants LAT1-11 or of any matter likely to lead to the identification of Claimants LAT1-11 in any report of, or otherwise in connection with, these proceedings.
  4. In accordance with CPR 5.4 (C)(4)(a), a non-party may not obtain a copy of a statement of case that identifies Claimants LAT1-11 by name. In particular, a non-party may not obtain a copy of the Particulars of Claim containing the original list of Claimants in Appendix A before the names were replaced by ciphers.
  5. The Court file shall be clearly marked with the words “An anonymity order was made in this case on 17 October 2025 and any application by a non-party to inspect or obtain a copy document from this file must be dealt with in accordance with the terms of that Order.”
  6. A copy of the anonymity order shall be published on the website of the judiciary of England and Wales.
  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 7 days’ notice to the Defendant’s solicitor.
  8. The costs of obtaining this Order be costs in the case.

Further Hearing

  1. The continuation of the anonymity order is to be considered at a further hearing listed on 9 December 2025 at 3pm via Microsoft Teams with a time estimate of one hour.
  2. The Defendant do, by 4pm on 14 November 2025, conduct individual risk assessments pertaining to the 11 Claimants who are the subject of the anonymity order and produce either those assessments or a statement containing the specific risks discovered by those assessments in confidential correspondence direct to Master Armstrong and the Claimant’s solicitors.