King's / Queen's Bench Division of the High Court

KB-2022-003316 - [2025] EWHC 1716 (KB)

Fecha: 11-Jul-2025

F: Summary and next steps

F: Summary and next steps

272.

For the reasons set out above:

(1)

The Claimants’ Unredaction Application succeeds to the extent set out in [108].

(2)

The Claimants’ Burrows Application succeeds to the extent set out in [114].

(3)

The Claimants’ Phone Data Application is refused.

(4)

Associated will attempt to locate the exhibit to Katie Nicholl’s witness statement (see [130] above), beyond that the Claimants’ Katie Nicholl/Lee Harpin Application is refused.

(5)

The Claimants’ C&LS Application is refused.

(6)

The Claimants’ Disclosure Information Application is refused.

(7)

The Claimants’ Data Storage Information Application is refused.

(8)

The Claimants’ Further Custodians Search Application is refused.

(9)

The Claimants’ Train of Inquiry Application is refused.

(10)

Associated’s Third-Party Disclosure Applications are granted.

(11)

Associated’s Knowledge Disclosure Application is granted in the terms sought in [187].

(12)

Associated’s Research Team Application is granted in the terms set out in [232]. The parties should attempt to agree wording of the order and the deadline for compliance.

(13)

Associated’s Third-Party Support Application is granted in the terms identified in [251].

(14)

It does not appear that any order is required on the Mulcaire Notes Application, but if that is not correct it can be addressed when judgment is handed down.

(15)

Associated’s Amendment Application is allowed in part – see [261].

(16)

Sir Simon Hughes’ Application is granted to the extent identified in [270].

273.

When this judgment is handed down, the Court will direct a timetable for compliance with the orders that the Court has made. After that, the Claimants will need to provide draft Amended Particulars of Claim. The Court will decide any disputed amendments at the Third CMC on 1-2 October 2025. The current directions towards trial require that witness statements are to be exchanged in advance of the Third CMC. I am not presently minded to vary that timetable. Instead, and subject to the parties’ further submissions, any further witness evidence that is necessitated by amendments would be dealt with in consequential directions given at the Third CMC. If the Claimants find themselves under something of a time pressure over the summer, that will largely be because of their failure to propose amendments at the Second CMC, in breach of the First CMC Order. At the hearing, I warned the Claimants that they should ensure that they utilised the time before judgment was handed down to prepare the amendments that they would seek to make to their claims.

274.

Finally, when the Claimants provide their proposed amendments, they must ensure that the Amended Particulars of Claim removes all references to “pending disclosure”. The parameters of the Claimants case will be clearly fixed prior to trial (subject only to any further amendment).

275.