Practice—Documents—Disclosure

Chancery Division, Vos J, 27 Feb 2012

The outcome of any application under Pt 5.4C will turn on whether press reporting of parts of the relevant statement of case might create a substantial risk that the course of justice in the criminal proceedings will be seriously impeded or prejudiced.

David Glen for the applicant. Michael Silverleaf QC, Anthony Hudson and Guy Vassall-Adams (instructed by Olswang LLP) for the first defendant. Gavin Millar QC and Alexandra Marzec (instructed by Payne Hicks Beach) for the second defendant.

The claimants were various persons who suspected that their phones had been “hacked” by the first defendant newspaper and the second defendant private investigator. They issued claims against the defendants in which allegations of breach of confidence and misuse of private information arising out of such interception of phone voice messages were made. Following criminal proceedings against the second respondent, a pre-trial review (PTR) was held at which