October 21, 2026

PPT -v- ITN and Guardian (anonymity and reporting restrictions order)

High Court King's Bench Division Media and Communications List Anonymity Order Order

Claim No. KB-2026-003646

In the High Court of Justice
King’s Bench Division
Media and Communications List

16 October 2026

Before:

The Honourable Mr Justice Nicklin

Between:

PPT

-v-

Independent Television News Limited

Guardian News and Media Limited

Anonymity and reporting restrictions order

AT THE PRE-TRIAL REVIEW

UPON APPLICATION by the Defendants by Application Notice issued on 13 October 2026 for orders for anonymity in respect of three individuals (“the Relevant Individuals”) identified to in the Confidential Schedule to this Order (“the Confidential Schedule”)

AND UPON HEARING Leading and Junior Counsel for the Claimant and Leading and Junior Counsel for the Defendants

AND UPON the Court being satisfied that non-disclosure of the identities of the Relevant Individuals is strictly necessary to secure the proper administration of justice and in order to protect the interests of the Relevant Individuals

AND PURSUANT to s.11 Contempt of Court Act 1981, CPR rule 39.2(4) and/or the inherent jurisdiction of the court

AND WHEREAS for the purposes of this Order:
(i) ‘Publication’ includes any speech, writing, broadcast, or other communication in whatever form (including internet and social media), which is addressed to the public at large or any section of the public.
(ii) ‘Publication’ includes any further publication (as defined in subparagraph (i) above) from the date of this Order, even if the information published is derived from a previous stage or stages of these proceedings

AND UPON the Court declaring that this Order does not determine whether any of the Relevant Individuals can be lawfully identified in the proposed broadcast and/or publication by the Defendants which are the subject of these proceedings

IT IS ORDERED THAT:

ANONYMITY

1. Pursuant to CPR 39.2 and/or the Court’s inherent jurisdiction it is ordered that:
a. the identities of the Relevant Individuals are to be withheld from the public and must not be disclosed in any proceedings in open court;
b. there be substituted for all purposes in these proceedings in place of references to the Relevant Individuals by name, and whether orally or in writing, the ciphers, respectively, “CA”, “CB” and “CC”; and
c. if and insofar as any document which has been filed with the Court and is publicly available names or identifies any of the Relevant Individuals, those documents are to be replaced and refiled replacing their names with the cipher “CA”, “CB” and “CC” and removing any identifying details from the document.

REPORTING RESTRICTION

2. Pursuant to s.11 Contempt of Court Act 1981, there shall be no publication of the names of any of the Relevant Individuals or of any matter likely to lead directly or indirectly to the identification of any of the Relevant Individuals in any report of, or otherwise in connection with, these proceedings, provided that nothing in this Order shall prevent the publication, disclosure or communication of any information which is contained in this Order (other than the Confidential Schedule).

RESTRICTIONS ON ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS ON THE COURT FILE

3. Upon the Court being satisfied that it is strictly necessary:
a. without further order of the Court, a non-party may not obtain access to or copies of any documents on the Court file on which any of the Relevant Individuals are named or which would be likely to lead to the identification of any of the Relevant Individuals; and
b. any non-party wishing to obtain access to, or copies of, any documents on the Court file on which any of the Relevant Individuals are named or which would be likely to lead to the identification of any of the Relevant Individuals must make an application to the Court, such application to be made by application notice served on the parties at least 3 days before the application is made.

PUBLIC DOMAIN

4. For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this Order shall prevent the publication of:
a. any information contained in any public judgment of the Court in these proceedings; and
b. any information contained in any documents on the Court file which are open to public inspection without an order of the Court and which do not name or identify the Relevant Individuals.

APPLICATIONS TO VARY/DISCHARGE

5. Any application by a party to vary or discharge this Order must be made by Application Notice, served on the other parties at least 3 days before the application is made save that the parties have liberty to apply to vary that period of notice.

6. Any application by a non-party to vary or discharge this Order must be made by Application Notice, served on the parties at least 7 days before the application is made.

PUBLICATION OF THIS ORDER

7. Pursuant to CPR 39.2(5) a copy of this Order (without the Confidential Schedule) will be published on the Judiciary Website.

8. No non-party may obtain access to or copies of the Confidential Schedule from the Court file without the permission of the Court, following an application made by Application Notice served on the parties at least 7 days before the application is made.

REVIEW OF THIS ORDER

9. The Court will reconsider the terms of this Anonymity and Reporting Restriction Order once judgment has been handed down following trial.

COSTS

10. The costs of and occasioned by the Application shall be in the case