LXP -v- Central Criminal Court and another (anonymity order)

Administrative CourtHigh CourtKing's Bench DivisionAnonymity Order

Case number: AC-2024-LON-004199

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

In the matter of an application for judicial review

26 September 2025

Before:

The Hon. Sir Peter Lane

Between:

The King
on the application of
LXP
(Claimant)

-v-

Central Criminal Court of England and Wales
(Defendant)

and

Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis
(Interested Party)

Order

On an application by the Claimant for a directions hearing to decide whether to order a Closed Material Procedure and appointment of a Special Advocate (and, if the court sees fit, the issue of permission)

Following consideration of the documents lodged by the Claimant and the Defendant, including the Claimant’s email dated 10 April 2025, with draft directions

ORDER BY THE HON. SIR PETER LANE

  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 LXP  

(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. Directions hearing:

(a) There shall be a directions hearing, to be listed as soon as practicable, following liaison between the ACO and counsels’ clerks as to counsels’ availability.

(b) The purpose of the directions hearing will be to hear submissions on whether there should be a Closed Material Procedure and appointment of a Special Advocate.

(c) The time estimate of the hearing shall be one hour. The parties are to inform the ACO immediately if they disagree with this estimate.

(d) The parties should assume that the court will wish to decide the issue of permission only after a decision has been made on the matters described in sub-paragraph (b) above; but that the court is likely to be assisted at the directions hearing by having the parties’ submissions on the issue of permission, including the timescale for deciding the same, in the event that a Closed Material Procedure/appointment of a Special Advocate is ordered.

(e) At least 7 days before the date listed for the directions hearing, the Claimant must file and serve:

(i) a skeleton argument, maximum 10 pages;  

(ii) an electronic bundle containing any authorities which the Court needs to read at the hearing (the Authorities Bundle: see para. 22.1.2 of the Administrative Court Judicial Review Guide); and

(iii) if requested by the Court, a hard copy version of the Permission Hearing Bundle and Authorities Bundles.

(f) At least 7 days before the date listed for the hearing, any party other than the Claimant intending to participate in the hearing must file and serve any skeleton argument, maximum 10 pages.

(g) If a party fails to comply with sub-paragraph (e) or (f), the Court may have regard to the failure when considering any question about costs at the hearing.

REASONS

(1) Anonymity: The national security issues are such that there are compelling reasons for the limited derogations from the principle of open justice in paragraph 1.

(2) Directions: I am satisfied that the overriding objective is best served by proceeding in the manner described in paragraph 2 of the order.

Signed: Sir Peter Lane
Date: 26 September 2025