British Star Loses Bid To Stop ITN & Guardian Publishing Sexual Misconduct Allegations

A well-known British man has lost his bid for an injunction against ITN and The Guardian to prevent the media outlets from publishing allegations of sexual misconduct. In a High Court judgment, the star’s claim for an injunction was denied, but a temporary order preventing the man (known as PPT in court proceedings) from being named remains in place pending an appeal. The case has generated significant interest in the UK, sparking widespread social media speculation about the identity of the man at the heart of the allegations. “The claimant’s claim for an injunction was dismissed,” said Mr Justice Nicklin in a judgment on Tuesday, per BBC and Sky News. Watch on Deadline “The court did not determine whether the allegations, or any of them, were true, and the dismissal of the claim does not amount to approval of any publication the defendants may decide to make.” During a hearing, PPT’s legal team argued that publishing would be “highly likely” to lead to his death by suicide after he had made two previous attempts to take his own life. Gavin Millar, who made the case for ITN and The Guardian, argued that the news organizations had a duty to publish information that was in the public interest. The two outlets are seeking to publish allegations of inappropriate and exploitative sexual activities with girls and young women based on the accounts of more than 30 sources, The Guardian reported. In a written submission to the court, PPT’s lawyers said: “It is important to understand that this drastic effect on the claimant is not from guilt of the wrongdoing alleged (which is denied) but because of shame arising from deep-rooted childhood trauma and the fear of ‘trial by media.'” The court heard that PPT had made two previous attempts to kill himself: In May, when ITN and The Guardian gave him an opportunity to respond to the allegations; and in July, when he absconded from a secure hospital. ITN is the British news group behind ITV News, Channel 4 News, and Skydance’s 5 News.