Year: 2004

Reporting restrictions refused in Burrell rape trial

Mr Justice Aikens has refused an application for reporting restrictions under s.4(2) Contempt of Court Act 1981 in the rape trial of Michael Burrell, a senior member of the Lord Chancellor’s Department.    The complainant asked the Court… Read More »

Jimmy Nail loses damages appeal

The Court of Appeal has today dismissed actor Jimmy Nail’s appeals against awards totalling £30,000 in libel damages against the News of the World and HarperCollins.   In its first opportunity to review compensation awards under… Read More »

District Judge overturns reporting restriction

A District Judge sitting at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court this week overturned an order made under s.4(2) Contempt of Court Act 1981 forbidding the media from reporting criminal proceedings against a PC Hibbert of the West Midlands… Read More »

Sunday Times’ QP defence struck out

International cycling star, Lance Armstrong, has scored a significant victory over the Sunday Times in his libel battle over an article published in the newspaper in June 2004.   Sitting in the High Court in… Read More »

5RB website given new recognition

Delia Venables, the creator of arguably the most comprehensive online guide to Legal Resources on the Internet, has today accorded the 5RB website new recognition. Ms Venables observes that “5RB (5 Raymond Buildings) is developing its website into a… Read More »

Douglas v Hello! in the CA

The Court of Appeal is this week hearing appeals in the key privacy case of Douglas v Hello! Ltd.  Under scrutiny are Lindsay J’s decisions on liability and damages.   The Court hearing the appeals is composed… Read More »

Jockey Club excludes punter

The Jockey Club today excluded John McCracken, a Brighton based horseracing punter, from all premises owned or licensed by it for an indefinite period. The exclusion order was granted by the Jockey Club’s Disciplinary Committee on… Read More »

Absolute privilege refused in child case

At the outset of the trial of a libel claim against Westminster City Council and two social workers employed by it, the Court struck out the defence of absolute privilege but ruled that qualified privilege would… Read More »

Police lose qualified privilege appeal

The Court of Appeal has today dismissed an appeal by the Chief Constable of West Midlands Police against a finding last December that one of his officers had defamed the Claimant, Ben Wood.   Following… Read More »

Galloway awarded £150,000 damages

Mr Justice Eady has given judgment in George Galloway’s libel action against The Daily Telegraph.  The judge found that the newspaper had seriously libelled the MP and awarded him £150,000 in damages.   For a copy… Read More »

Watchdog rules against ‘violent’ advert

The Advertising Standards Authority has today ruled that an advertisement for the Newspaper Marketing Agency printed in a number of national newspapers was violent and offensive and should not be used again. The advertisement, which appeared in… Read More »

Jameel Appeals in the CA

The hearing of the Defendants’ appeals from the decisions against them in the cases of Jameel & another v Wall Street Journal and Jameel v Dow Jones & Company Inc starts in the Court of Appeal today…. Read More »

Independent Press is ‘fundamental’

Deputy Chief Justice, Lord Justice Judge, speaking today at the Law for Journalists Conference in London said that the freedom of the press was of ‘inestimable value’. Giving the keynote address at the beginning of… Read More »

Daily Star found guilty of contempt

The Divisional Court (Rose LJ and Pitchford J) has found Express Newspapers guilty of contempt of court over the Daily Star‘s coverage of a case involving two Premiership footballers and fined the newspaper group £60,000. In September 2003… Read More »

Freedom of information update

With just over one month to go before the Freedom of Information Act 2000 comes into force on 1 January 2005, Jonathan Barnes of 5RB will outline the Act’s operation and how it might be… Read More »

Polanski in the Lords

The Franco-Polish film director Roman Polanski began his appeal yesterday against a decision refusing him permission to give his evidence in a forthcoming libel action via video link from France.   Last November, the Court… Read More »

5RB @ Media Law Conference

Desmond Browne QC and Mark Warby QC of 5RB will be speaking at the second annual Management Forum Media Law Conference on 26 January 2005 which will be chaired by Christina Michalos, also of 5RB.   Mark… Read More »

Reynolds under new ECHR spotlight

The European Court of Human Rights has this week handed down a significant judgment which may require the English court to review its approach to the application of the public interest qualified privilege defence under… Read More »

Galloway libel case reaches court

The trial of George Galloway’s libel action against the Daily Telegraph commences today before Mr Justice Eady.   The case concerns allegations that the Glasgow Kelvin MP accepted £375,000 in oil money from Saddam Hussein’s regime,… Read More »