An anonymous celebrity who filed an injunction to permanently block the publishing of his identity and allegations of sexual misconduct against him has been denied by the U.K. High Court.
Two U.K. news organizations, ITN and the Guardian, have argued that it is in the public’s interest to publish the accusations they have received regarding a famous man who allegedly used his position to attempt or engage in “inappropriate sexual activities with a large number of girls and young women.” U.K. Judge Justice Nicklin denied the man’s request to block the publishing of those allegations on Tuesday.
However, they also ruled that a temporary injunction blocking the man’s identity and misconduct allegations from being shared should also remain in place for the time being until he has had the opportunity to appeal.
“The claimant’s claim for an injunction was dismissed,” Nicklin ruled. “The court did not determine whether the allegations, or any of them, were true, and the dismissal of the claim does not amount to approval of any publication the defendants may decide to make.”
In a two-day trial held last week, the anonymous man denied using “his power and position as a celebrity to contact and forge relationships with young women and teenagers to try to have sex with them.” He has repeatedly denied the allegations and also claimed that the publication of them would “highly likely” lead him to kill himself.
His lawyers told the court last week that such an outcome would not be an admission of wrongdoing but the result of fear of “trial by media.”
Legal representative Sara Mansoori further alleged that her client had already attempted suicide twice since receiving letters from news outlets like ITN and the Guardian asking him to respond to the allegations against him. She additionally noted that the anonymous man has “no intention of returning to public life.”
“This is not a case where an individual has spuriously raised ‘mental health’ concerns in the face of an impending publication that they do not wish to occur,” Mansoori said. “The claimant has attempted suicide twice as a result of these matters, been hospitalised for months, been the subject of involuntary detention and been examined by multiple — now more than 10 — doctors.”
ITN and Guardian News representative Gavin Millar told the court “numerous allegations” had been gathered as part of a “rigorous investigation” into the anonymous celebrity’s alleged misconduct. Millar said the investigation purportedly revealed “a pattern of behavior.”
Millar said many of the women involved “have been traumatized by the claimant’s alleged conduct and have suffered mental health crises and mental illness as a result.” The legal rep further told the court that to support the anonymous celebrity’s injunction request would be to block “lawful journalistic activities.”
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