High Court Rejects David Walliams, 55, Anonymity Bid as Guardian and ITN Name Him
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Nov 10
High Court Rejects David Walliams, 55, Anonymity Bid as Guardian and ITN Name Him
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Nov 10
Summary
Mr Justice Nicklin refused Walliams a permanent injunction, and after no appeal papers were filed by the Monday 16:30 GMT deadline, the Guardian and ITN were free to identify him.
Walliams had argued publication posed a threat to his life, but the judge said any Article 2 duty to protect him rested with clinicians and the hospital where he had been detained, not the court.
The ruling also found Walliams had not shown the reporting would reveal legally private or confidential material, while the media's freedom of expression and the investigation's public-interest basis weighed against him.
The case exposed how hard UK anonymity orders are to police online: Walliams' name had already circulated widely on social media, highlighting what the report called an existential challenge for courts in the digital age.