Thaindian News

London, Mar 23 (ANI): It has emerged that ‘freedom of information’ crusader Jemima Khan, a firm supporter of WikiLeaks’ founder Julian Assange, has won a court injunction to prevent her private details going public.

Her brother and Tory MP Zac Goldsmith and his ex-wife Sheherazade also have orders preventing media outlets broadcasting or publishing their private business, reports the Daily Mail.

The injunctions were originally granted in December 2008 after the Goldsmiths, who were divorced last year, and Jemima were ‘victims of a crime’, said Justice Tugendhat in London.

An unidentified person had hacked into Mrs Goldsmith and Jemima’s e-mail accounts and sent emails to a journalist, who alerted the Goldsmiths.

They immediately applied to the High Court, before issuing claims forms, and were granted a ’super injunction’, which banned publication of all information relating to them.

By the end of January 2009, there were suspicions that the hacker was a woman, identified only as BCD, who was arrested in May that year.

Police, however, decided not to prosecute after she expressed remorse and accepted a caution.

The Goldsmiths and Jemima, however, overlooked the fact they had given undertakings to serve claim forms and, having gone to the police, did nothing to progress their claim.

It led to a new court hearing earlier this month.

“The reason why there had to be a hearing in this case was because a breach of an undertaking is very serious, and must be fully explained to the court, and the court must consider what to do in response to it,” said Justice Tugendhat.

He said that while the breach of undertakings, for which the claimants had apologised, was culpable, it was not intended for an improper purpose.

He discharged the orders from 2008 but made fresh ones, saying that BCD’s mental health remained fragile and there was a risk to the Goldsmiths and Jemima, from which they were entitled to be protected.

He said that the injunction preventing publication of the contents of the emails involved no interference with the freedom of expression of anyone. (ANI)