Groundbreaking ruling

In a landmark case, five British special forces soldiers have succeeded in obtaining a court order preventing their identities being published.

According to solicitoradvocate Paul Bennett, of Gwilym Hughes & Partners, who acted for the defendants in Times Newspapers Ltd and others, this is the first known case in England and Wales that the prosecution and defence have worked together to secure an order of this type, and the first time a court has upheld a defendant’s right to anonymity. The five soldiers, who denied charges of conspiracy to defraud, have since been acquitted.