Injunction Footballer Named in Parliament
MP John Hemming revealed the identity of the Premier League footballer at the centre of the Twitter super-injunction row (though we will not name him here). During a meeting of the House of Commons, he said that it’s not practical anymore that the footballer’s name be kept from the public, as many already know who he is due to the social networking site and others like it. It’s obviously impractical that the about 75,000 people who named him on Twitter be imprisoned, he added.
Hemming was immediately criticised by the Commons Speaker, who said that it’s not the time to bring up such an issue. However, the MP retaliated that he wants the executing of a law that clearly doesn’t have the consent of the public to be clarified.
The footballer’s identity was revealed in the meeting only hours after High Court Mr Justice Eady refused a submission for journalists to be able to name the football star, who is alleged to have had an affair with former Miss Wales and Big Brother star Imogen Thomas. A fresh application for the privacy injunction to be discharged was submitted by News Group Newspapers on the basis that it’s pointless to keep it due to the widespread publicity of who the cheater is. The judge said it’s the duty of the court to protect the claimant and his family from harassment and intrusion as long as it can.
Prime Minister David Cameron has taken privacy injunctions into question recently, saying that they are unfair and unsustainable. The government is going to look into the issue, but it’s Parliament’s job to create law. He also indicated during an interview with Daybreak that he knew the name of the footballer like everyone else.