RTX -v- Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (anonymity)
Claim No.: QB-2020-002944
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE
QUEEN’S BENCH DIVISION
21 September 2020
Before:
Master Dagnall Sitting In Private
Between:
RTX
-v-
Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
UPON the Application (“the Application”) of the Claimant made by Notice of Application dated 27 July 2020
AND UPON consideration of the Order herein of 3rd September 2020
AND UPON reading the second witness statement of Kim Louise Harrison dated 9 September 2020
AND the Defendant by email of 10 September 2020 indicating that it supports this Order
AND UPON consideration of the Claimant’s Article 8 right to respect for private and family life and the Article 10 right to freedom of expression
AND UPON Court considering THAT:
1. The action is one which is likely to attract significant media attention and publicity.
2. The action relates to sexual assault and where there have been criminal proceedings and in relation to them the Claimant would be entitled to the protection of section 1 of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992 and/or the Sexual Offences Act 2003, and to matters which do or may attract statutory anonymity and provisions against publication of the identity or address/location of the Claimant and their family
3. The Claimant is vulnerable.
4. Publicity revealing the identity or address/location of the Claimant could unfairly damage the interest of the Claimant and their family and give rise to serious harm to the Claimant or their family.
5. Non-disclosure of the identity of and anonymity of the Claimant and of their family and of their addresses/locations is necessary in order to protect the interests of the Claimant and to secure the proper administration of justice.
6. The Claimant’s identity and address/location ought to be withheld from the public and should not be published, and that the Court should allow these prohibitions and give consequential directions, and that such prohibitions are necessary to secure the proper administration of justice
7. It is necessary to sit in private to secure the proper administration of justice and including because publicity would subvert the purpose of the Application and this Order.
AND pursuant to the section 11 Contempt of Court Act 1981, Civil Procedure Rules 1998 rules 1.1, 1.2, 3.1, 3.3, 3.10, 5.4 A-D and 39.2 and the inherent jurisdiction of the Court.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED AND DIRECTED THAT:-
1. The identity and the address/location of the Claimant and of their family be not disclosed or published without the permission of the court (other than as required for the purposes of the carrying on of this action).
2. There be substituted for all purposes in this application in place of references to the Claimant by name, and whether orally or in writing, reference to the sequence of characters, RTX; and the Claimant shall be described in all statements of case and other documents to be filed or served in the proceedings and in any judgment or order in the proceedings and in any report of the proceedings by the press or otherwise as “RTX”.
3. The address of the Claimant be stated in all statements of case and other documents to be filed or served in the proceedings as the address of the Claimant’s solicitors.
4. That insofar as necessary, any statement of case or other document disclosing the Claimant’s name or address already filed in the proceedings be replaced by a document describing such name or address in anonymised form as above (and in the meantime shall be kept confidential), and the Claimant’s solicitor shall have permission to file with the court such copies of such documents adjusted so as to comply therewith.
5. The original of any such statement of case or other document disclosing the name or address/location of the Claimant (and in particular any Application Notice, or any statement of case, judgment, Order or other document to which anyone might have access to pursuant to Rule 5.4 A-D or otherwise at any time) are to be retained by the Court in a sealed envelope, marked “Not to be opened without the permission of a Judge or Master or District Judge of the Queen’s Bench Division”, or, if electronically filed or scanned, shall be placed on the court file and marked “confidential: not to be opened without the permission of a Master or High Court Judge”.
6. Any person not a party to this action may not inspect or obtain a copy of any document on or from the Court file (other than this order duly anonymised as directed) and whether pursuant to Part 5.4 A-D of the Civil Procedure Rules or otherwise, without the permission of a Judge or Master of the Queen’s Bench Division. Any application for such permission must be made on notice to the Claimant and the Court will effect service. The Court file is to be retained by the Court and marked “Anonymised”. 7. The reporting restrictions apply as to the disclosing of any information that may lead to the subsequent identification of the Claimant. The publication of the name or address/location of the Claimant or of any member of the Claimant’s immediate family is prohibited.
8. Any non-party affected by this Order may apply on notice to all parties to have this Order set aside or varied.
9. The Claimant has permission to apply to set aside or vary this order.
10.A copy of this Order shall be published on the judicial website of the High Court of Justice specifying that the Claimant shall be referred to as RTX.
11.The hearing listed for 22 September 2020 shall be vacated.
12.Costs in the case.