Venables amd Thompson v. News Group Internation and Ors [2001] EWHC QB 452 (4th December, 2001)

Venables amd Thompson v. News Group Internation and Ors [2001] EWHC QB 452 (4th December, 2001)

GMNL breached the injunction of 8 January 2001 by publishing information in the Manchester Evening News and on its website that was likely to lead to the identification of the whereabouts of Jon Venables and Robert Thompson. The information was not in the public domain, and the publication created a real risk of...

Source-derived case information.

Citation
[2001] EWHC QB 452
Parties
Applicant: Attorney General; Respondent: Greater Manchester Newspapers Ltd (GMNL)
Jurisdiction
England and Wales
Procedural Posture
Contempt of Court Application / Judgment After Hearing on Alleged Contempt
Outcome
GMNL found in contempt of court for breach of injunction.
Legal Topics
Injunctions, Contra Mundum Orders, Public Domain Information, Protection of Identity, Standard of Proof in Contempt, Article 2 and 3 ECHR
Media Law Contempt of Court Confidentiality Human Rights Injunctions Contra Mundum Orders Public Domain Information Protection of Identity +2 more

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Parties

Attorney General

Applicant

Greater Manchester Newspapers Ltd (GMNL)

Respondent

Procedural Posture

Contempt of Court Application / Judgment After Hearing on Alleged Contempt

Legal Issues

  1. 1 Whether GMNL had notice of the injunctions
  2. 2 Whether the information published was likely to lead to identification under the injunction
  3. 3 Whether the information was already in the public domain

Ratio Decidendi

GMNL breached the injunction of 8 January 2001 by publishing information in the Manchester Evening News and on its website that was likely to lead to the identification of the whereabouts of Jon Venables and Robert Thompson. The information was not in the public domain, and the publication created a real risk of identification, thus violating the order.

Court Disposition

GMNL found in contempt of court for breach of injunction.

Orders

  • Declaration that GMNL is in breach of the order of 8 January 2001.