SP -v- Secretary of State for the Home Department (anonymity order)

Administrative CourtHigh CourtKing's Bench DivisionAnonymity Order

Case number: AC-2025-LON-001775

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

In the matter of an application for judicial review

22 August 2025

Before:

DHCJ Alan Bates

Between:

The King
on the application of
SP (anonymised)

-v-

Secretary of State for the Home Department

Order

On the Court’s consideration of the Claimant’s application for anonymisation in these proceedings

ORDER BY ALAN BATES,
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 “SP”.

(b) Pursuant to CPR 5.4C(4):

(i) 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;

(ii) unless the Court grants permission under CPR 5.4C(6), no non-party may obtain a copy of any statement of case unless it is a redacted version which does not reveal the Claimant’s name, address, date of birth, telephone number or email address.

(c) Any person wishing to vary or discharge this Order must make an application, served on each party.

REASONS

(1) I am satisfied that it is proportionate and appropriate to anonymise the Claimant in these proceedings. On the facts asserted in his claim, he was brought into the UK and put into forced labour here whilst he was a child, and the work to which he was put related to illegal cannabis cultivation. In my view, permitting his anonymisation involves an incursion on the open justice principle which goes no further than is necessary and proportionate for protecting against a non-negligible risk of the Claimant being located by unknown persons who may wish to do him harm.

(2) The Claimant’s Statement of Facts and Grounds, and a draft consent order that has now been submitted for bringing the proceedings to an end, already anonymise the Claimant as “SP”. In view of the submission of the draft consent order, it is unlikely there will ever be any need for a hearing in these proceedings. Given these circumstances, I have not thought it necessary to require the Claimant or the Defendant to file any further anonymised versions of existing statements of case or other documents at this time.

Signed: DHCJ Alan Bates
Date: 22nd August 2025