QB-2022-001397 - [2025] EWHC 2193 (KB)

The main reporting phase ran from 7-29 April 2021. On 7 April, Mr Lewis shared with the reporters the provisional information and contacts he had received, introduced them to Ms El Hosaini and Mr Krishna Floyd, and outlined the Guardian’s approach to an investigation of this kind.

Mr Lewis described Ms El Hosaini and Mr Krishna Floyd as “intermediary sources”. They did not raise, or corroborate, any allegations. It is clear that Mr Proctor was in the same category, although he was more proactive in setting up an anonymous email account to receive allegations, and in drawing up spreadsheets. While the information Mr Proctor provided was helpful in “getting the ball rolling”, it is apparent that the Guardian had to curb his eagerness to assist and make clear that he needed to leave the investigating to the journalists. Some leads came through Mr Proctor’s anonymous email account, but the majority of the Guardian’s sources were, as Mr Lewis said, “people who we found or who found us through the natural course of reporting these allegations”.

Ms Osborne and Ms Kale have given evidence of the steps that they took to obtain information from their primary sources, and to seek to test and corroborate their accounts. Ms Osborne’s sources for the first article included Ms Kaiser, Ms Whyte, Ms Powell, Ms Seltveit, Ms Atherton, Ms Sabaliauskaite, Monica Black (who had been the Production Designer on Brotherhood), Ms Powell’s therapist, mother and partner; as well as sources whose identity Ms Osborne has not confirmed including Mr Proctor, ‘Imogen’, ‘Anita’/Megan*, CJS2/Lara Doree, CJS15, CJS16/Ms Pugh, CJS17/Luca and CJS19/Urvashi Chand.

By the time of publication of the first article, Ms Kale had spoken to “at least 22 different sources, including at least thirteen primary accusers”. Her sources for the first article included Ms Lusi (and two friends of hers), Ms Akindude, Ms Crabb, ‘Maya’/Kim* (and friends and work associates of hers), Leila* (and corroborative sources), Chantal* (and her mother), Mel*, Becky*, CJS7, CJS8, CJS9, CJS10 and CJS11.

For both reporters, these are not exhaustive lists of their sources for the first article, but they include all the women, whether named or pseudonymised, whose accounts of sexual harassment, sexual assault, inappropriate sexual remarks, bullying and professional misconduct were published in the first article.