High Court refuses to lift anonymity order for alleged victim of Dan Wootton “catfishing”

Mr Wootton asked the court to remove an anonymity order it had given to the Claimant in relation to his claim in January 2025.

However a judge at the High Court ruled that the anonymity order should stay in place to protect the identity of the Claimant who is represented by abuse team partner Dino Nocivelli at law firm Leigh Day.

The sexual offences alleged by Mr Nocivelli’s client do not afford him automatic anonymity under the Sexual Offences Act 1992.

However it was argued that the Claimant’s anonymity was necessary to prevent compounding and aggravating the very matters which gave rise to the claim.

The court heard that the Claimant alleges that:

1. Between about 2006 and 2007, the Claimant and the Defendant were colleagues.  The Claimant was a journalist for The Sun and the Defendant for the News of the World. In 2010, the Defendant communicated with the Claimant via email and WhatsApp and Facebook messages deceitfully pretending to be a female by the name of Maria Joseph. The messages became flirtatious and sexualised.  The Defendant sent to the Claimant photographs of a female, which he falsely pretended was Maria Joseph/the person with whom the Claimant was communicating.  Some of the photographs showed the female partially or fully naked.  The Defendant also sent to the Claimant a video of a man and woman having sexual intercourse, again pretending that the female was Maria Joseph/ the person with whom the Claimant was communicating.
2. In reliance on the Defendant’s purported good faith, flattering and in the induced belief that he was communicating with Maria Joseph, an unknown female who was interested in a sexual relationship with the Claimant, the Claimant responded to the messages in a flirtatious and sexualised manner. The Defendant encouraged the Claimant to send explicit photographs and a video of himself masturbating, which he did.
3. The Claimant became aware that he had been communicating not with Maria Joseph (who does not exist), but with the Defendant.  The Defendant has not denied that it was him who was communicating with and tricked the Claimant.

The Claimant is claiming damages for personal injuries and losses caused by Mr Wootton’s “intentional infliction of harm, misuse of confidential information, infringement of privacy and deceit”.

Leigh Day abuse team partner Dino Nocivelli said:

“In hearing Dan Wootton’s application that my client’s anonymity order should be removed and his identity revealed, the court has heard the allegations of “catfishing” against Dan Wootton and that he allegedly procured sexual images by deceitful means from my client.

“Although the alleged abuse my client has suffered does not afford him the automatic right to anonymity that is granted to victims of sexual assaults, we have successfully argued today that the anonymity order should stay in place to prevent compounding and aggravating the very matters that give rise to my client’s claim.”

Justin Levinson of One Crown Office Row, was instructed.