Media moves at London’s High Court to lift anonymity orders in respect of two terror suspects who have gone missing failed.
However, while ruling that the orders should not be lifted one of the country’s top judges, Mr Justice Andrew Collins rounded on the Government for not explaining the reasons for the orders to the media.
The applications to lift the orders in respect of the two men who went missing while subject of control orders were made by Associated Newspapers Ltd, News International Guardian Newspapers, the Telegraph Group and the BBC.
At the end of the hearing although he did not rule that the anonymity order should be lifted the judge ordered that the Government should pay the legal costs run up by the media in making the application.
He said the Home Office had failed "to give sensible information" to the media at an early stage in respect of the situation regarding the two men who were identified in court only by the initials AD and LL.
Ordering that the Home Office should foot the legal bill the judge said the proceedings were only rendered necessary by the Home Secretary’s “failure to respond to their initial application.”
One of the men who is British is reported to have been questioned about links with the July 7 bombers and escaped from a mental health unit a month ago.
The other has disappeared from his north of England home.
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