A schoolboy arrested following the TalkTalk cyber attack is suing three national newspapers for alleged breach of privacy, according to an RTE report, also carried in the Irish Independent.
Lawyers for the 15-year-old claim that his privacy was compromised by articles in the Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail and the Sun. Similar claims were made against Google and Twitter.
Some details of the case can be disclosed because reporting restrictions were partially lifted by a judge at the high court in Belfast on Friday. Pending its outcome, all three newspapers gave undertakings aimed at protecting the boy’s identity.
Mr Justice O’Hara also granted injunctions against Google and Twitter in a bid to remove any online references to the teenager’s name, address, images or information about his physical appearance.
The lawsuits centre on publicity surrounding the boy’s questioning last month by police who were investigating the hack into the database of TalkTalk, the phone and broadband provider.
The boy, from County Antrim in Northern Ireland, was among four people to be detained in connection with the probe. He was released on bail after being interviewed on suspicion of offences under the computer misuse act.
Since then, his lawyers have issued writs claiming negligence, misuse of private information, defamation, breach of confidence and data protection.
The case is due to be heard again next month.
Sources: RTE/Irish Independent