Senior football figure given anonymity in High Court sexual abuse claim

A senior Premier League figure has been granted anonymity in a High Court case against him over alleged sexual abuse.

According to the BBC, the figure is being sued for damages by a woman who claims she was sexually abused by the man when she was 15.

In a court order last month, Judge Amanda Stevens said his anonymity in the civil proceedings was “necessary to secure the proper administration of justice” and that “there is no sufficient countervailing public interest in disclosure”.

Judge Stevens also said she had considered the privacy rights of the man as well as the right to freedom of expression under the European Convention of Human Rights when making the ruling preventing his identification.

The BBC and sports publication The Athletic have reported the alleged sexual abuse took place in the 1990s.

Court documents reported by the outlets allege the man “committed trespass to the claimant’s person, assault and battery, and intentionally inflicted injury” to the woman.

Judge Stevens’ order prevents the man’s identification in “any speech, writing, broadcast, or other communication in whatever form, including internet and social media, which is addressed to the public at large or any section of the public”.