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“Mystery” Male Celebrity Loses Injunction Bid

143 replies

CaveMum · Today 14:48

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqglwjdgg045o

The celebrity has lost his bid for a permanent injunction to prevent The Guardian and ITN from publishing allegations that he abused his status to attempt or attempt to engage in “inappropriate sexual activities with a large number of girls and young women.”

There remains a temporary injunction preventing him from being named in order to allow an appeal against the judgement.

The Royal Courts of Justice building in London, showing the front part of the building with its intricate stonework and an ornate window.

Celebrity loses injunction bid but will stay anonymous pending appeal

The unnamed man asked for an injunction to stop his identity being reported in connection with allegations against him.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqglwjdgg045o

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5
AutumnLover1999 · Today 18:21

Squeakytoys · Today 15:40

How long will he have to appeal?

By Friday apparently.
He's already been named on X as he can be named on Scotland as injunction doesn't apply there.

Namechange5684 · Today 18:22

IdleGossip · Today 16:31

This is why these injunctions are pointless - because everyone knows who it is.

I think it's the extent and nature of the allegations that he doesn't want made public.

pettingzoosforeveryone · Today 18:22

YourAmplePlumPoster · Today 18:14

I'm just remembering the monstering of the bloke in that murder case, the landlord who turned out to be innocent. What if he'd commited suicide for something he didn't do? Everything is now trial by media. As we know Cliff Richard was innocent of accusations.

That wasn't the result of investigative journalism, that was tabloids printing sensationalist rubbish to sell papers. My understanding is that this case is the product of a four year investigation. I don't think it's helpful or appropriate to compare it to what happened to CJ.

YourAmplePlumPoster · Today 18:23

Innocent until proven guilty but can't see how that's possible anymore.

IndigoBabble · Today 18:23

CaveMum · Today 14:49

In an interesting and totally coincidental and unrelated story, the BBC are also running this today.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx8dznljndyzo

😂

ColinISabirthdaycake · Today 18:23

ANEC · Today 17:40

May I play devils advocate?
We often see in the papers and on the news, when these stories break, the accuser being addressed as Miss A whilst the accused has his name splashed all over. Before any trial has begun his name has been dragged through the mud and a guilty verdict decided by the press and readers. Surely he should be accorded the same anonymity.

If he’s found guilty haul him over the coals and scream his name from the rooftops.
Mud sticks even when an innocent verdict is found.

I agree. I've never thought someone should be named until proven guilty.

In Germany, you'd say David W. OK, people might have a good idea of who it is if they are well known. But at least it doesn't mean that if you are found innocent there are still all those stories on the internet. Also, if it's not someone well-known and you have the same name, people might think it's you!

Someone with my name was prosecuted for something a few years ago. She's a few years older than me, but people might think it was me if they were say recruiting and having a nose on the internet for the candidates.

The GDPR right to be forgotten doesn't really work here.

SereneFinch · Today 18:24

YourAmplePlumPoster · Today 18:08

While not excusing any offence committed, the press hounding people to commit suicide is not the kind of society I want to see.

Agree - people are quick to forget Caroline Flack and Jason Arday, among others.

Do we even know if there’s a police investigation? Or is it simply people making allegations?

Namechange5684 · Today 18:25

seahorsessky · Today 16:27

Knowing someone who nearly turned to suicide when "only" accused of stealing money, no one should have things splashed everywhere when they haven't been found guilty, At one time, many people argued rape victims shouldn't have anonymity. It's awful.
If it was you, or your child, would you want this? If they are guilty, then they can be punished when found guilty.

Victims have the right to tell their story though, particularly when only 1-3% of assaults result in a conviction.

It is notoriously hard to get a rape/sexual assault into the criminal justice system.

IzzyLeng · Today 18:30

shuggles · Today 17:51

Yea sure, because there are so many female sex offenders, and so many female sex offenders who offend against women and girls.

So many people missed a similar joke on a previous thread

SereneFinch · Today 18:30

Depressing stuff

ItsPickleRick · Today 18:32

Maybe more people would approve of the accused remaining anonymous and letting justice take its course if women and girls weren’t so badly let down at every fucking stage of the justice process.

WhatMe123 · Today 18:36

It’s all out in Instagram who it is anyways

TimeConsuming · Today 18:37

“I’m a sleb you know! I do all things a sleb would do!”

Some weeks ago I was dismayed not to have heard about this “secret” but turned out to be pretty easy to find out who and why and his threats of self harm to silence criticism of his causing harm to others

squarecrow · Today 18:42

TimeConsuming · Today 18:37

“I’m a sleb you know! I do all things a sleb would do!”

Some weeks ago I was dismayed not to have heard about this “secret” but turned out to be pretty easy to find out who and why and his threats of self harm to silence criticism of his causing harm to others

Yes it’s this for me - if a celebrity was seeking an injunction that would be one thing, but it’s the manipulative nature of the reason given that I really don’t like. And the precedent that would set. No you bloody well can’t have it all kept secret just because you’re threatening to hurt yourself over having it come out.

It is a genuine problem when innocent people are accused. I cannot imagine doing this if I were accused of something. I’d just be trying to clear my name.

Grammarnut · Today 18:45

Presumably not the performer formerly known as Prince. I never liked his...

JohnofWessex · Today 18:47

This is interesting

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/nov/03/well-known-individual-fails-injunction-bid-guardian-itn

“The claimant is detained under the Mental Health Act 1983. The hospital exercises direct control over his care, observation, treatment, access to means of self-harm, leave and eventual discharge. It has assumed responsibility for the very risk with which article two is concerned.

Do we know of any Celebs currently detained in Hospital?

‘Well-known individual’ fails in bid for injunction against Guardian and ITN

Person’s anonymity remains in place subject to any appeal against high court decision

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/nov/03/well-known-individual-fails-injunction-bid-guardian-itn

XDownwiththissortofthingX · Today 18:53

ItsPickleRick · Today 18:32

Maybe more people would approve of the accused remaining anonymous and letting justice take its course if women and girls weren’t so badly let down at every fucking stage of the justice process.

This, plus the fact that naming abusers often prompts more victims to come forward, corroborates allegations of specific patterns of behaviour, and can lead to convictions which might not have been feasible beforehand.

Regardless, people have a fundamental right to freedom of expression and to tell the truth about their own experiences, even when and where that paints another person in a bad light. In this case, I'd expect that people willing to share their stories with ITN and Guardian Group will have been well advised by those media outlets' legal teams, if not their own, about the possibility of sabotaging potential criminal proceedings and either take the necessary precautions to ensure they do not cross that threshold, or that they are certain they have no intention of reporting a criminal offence in the first place.

We have established defamation laws in the UK, so people who do want to make allegations are already at serious risk of legal comeback if they are less than honest, and these work on the basis that the onus is upon the individual making the claim to be able to lend some credence to it rather than the subject having to prove the claim is false. This works by and large, and it can also be a handy barometer of who is actually telling the truth. First of all, people do not seek Injunctions to prevent the reporting of lies, because defamation law covers that to begin with, but secondly, it means that people like Ulrika Jonsson and Katherine Ryan can make some very serious allegations about specific men, and then the public can draw it's own conclusion about the fact these men do nothing of any note to challenge the person making the allegation.

For the people still making "innocent until proven guilty" defences of PPT, you could bear in mind that although the judge stated they have come to no conclusion about the truth of the allegations, there appears to be no contention whatsoever from PPT's legal team that they are untrue to begin with.

Hollyhobbi · Today 18:54

Interesting. I’m in Ireland and RTE haven’t named him either but have an article! And the injunction wouldn’t cover Ireland.

RapunzelHadExtensions · Today 18:56

I don't feel one tiny 'bitty' sorry for him....

Uricon2 · Today 18:58

I am always struck by the fact that the only person with the balls to speak out about Savile publically, many years before he died and was exposed was Johnny 'Rotten' Lydon. He was shut down.

Similarly, Robert Lindsay and Brad Pitt being the only ones I've ever heard about challenging Harvey Weinstein before his victims came forward.

These men (and it is always men) thrive on a climate of secrecy. PPT /DW wants to buy a veil of secrecy. As he has the clout and the money to sue the arses off the Guardian/ITN if they are libelling/slandering him, why is he so very anxious that what they have to say does not become public? The answer is obvious to me.

IntentionallyAsymmetrical · Today 19:00

An injunction would be a complete waste of time because everyone seems to know who it is anyway!

Happyjoe · Today 19:00

Sorry, sex predators who want to commit suicide because of public shame can go do what they want to do, the courts are not made to be manipulated in such a way.

venus7 · Today 19:01

TillyGoat · Today 16:46

I love when they do this.

I remember all the Downton Abbey stories on the front page alongside stories about an injunction...

So who was that.......?

Namechange5684 · Today 19:01

XDownwiththissortofthingX · Today 18:53

This, plus the fact that naming abusers often prompts more victims to come forward, corroborates allegations of specific patterns of behaviour, and can lead to convictions which might not have been feasible beforehand.

Regardless, people have a fundamental right to freedom of expression and to tell the truth about their own experiences, even when and where that paints another person in a bad light. In this case, I'd expect that people willing to share their stories with ITN and Guardian Group will have been well advised by those media outlets' legal teams, if not their own, about the possibility of sabotaging potential criminal proceedings and either take the necessary precautions to ensure they do not cross that threshold, or that they are certain they have no intention of reporting a criminal offence in the first place.

We have established defamation laws in the UK, so people who do want to make allegations are already at serious risk of legal comeback if they are less than honest, and these work on the basis that the onus is upon the individual making the claim to be able to lend some credence to it rather than the subject having to prove the claim is false. This works by and large, and it can also be a handy barometer of who is actually telling the truth. First of all, people do not seek Injunctions to prevent the reporting of lies, because defamation law covers that to begin with, but secondly, it means that people like Ulrika Jonsson and Katherine Ryan can make some very serious allegations about specific men, and then the public can draw it's own conclusion about the fact these men do nothing of any note to challenge the person making the allegation.

For the people still making "innocent until proven guilty" defences of PPT, you could bear in mind that although the judge stated they have come to no conclusion about the truth of the allegations, there appears to be no contention whatsoever from PPT's legal team that they are untrue to begin with.

Edited

This.

There's no way that the Guardian and ITN would risk being sued for defamation if there was no truth to what they've uncovered!

TheFriendlyCabbage · Today 19:02

Bitty man was seen out in the wild a few weeks ago, having a coffee with a woman in Pimlico. Sitting on an outside table. So if it is him and he is in hospital, he wasn’t a few weeks back. He looked very pale and grey, like he hadn’t seen daylight for a bit.