A senior Premier League figure has been granted anonymity by a High Court judge as he faces an allegation of sexually abusing a teenage girl. The well-known football executive is being sued for aggravated damages over an incident alleged to have occurred more than two decades ago, when the girl was 15 years old.
The civil case was filed in January, and a claim for anonymity was made simultaneously without the usual notification to the media. At a hearing last month, Master Stevens, a judge in the King’s Bench Division, granted anonymity to the defendant. In her ruling, the judge cited the need to secure the proper administration of justice and protect the defendant's interests, stating there was no sufficient public interest in disclosure.
Anonymity was separately granted to the claimant in February. According to court documents seen by The Athletic, the man is accused of committing trespass to the person, assault and battery, and intentionally inflicting injury, causing psychological harm. The defendant will be referred to by a series of letters in legal documents, as will the claimant.
The anonymity order was agreed on April 22, the same day serial killer Lucy Letby's appeal was heard in another part of the High Court. It is unclear if any journalists were present at the hearing.
