Photos of victim attack published without his permission

[Bulbultown]

Hi,

My friend was a victim of a knife attack in London. He was left with stab wounds to his head back and a big scar on his face in addition to broken eye sockets and a broken upper jaw.
In the course of the incident, it was covered by newspapers. They published his name, his mum's name and the name of the school where he works,the subjects he teaches,the town where he is recuperating and then they published a photo of him which was picked up from his facebook.

This was after he had refused to have any pictures taken after the attack to ensure safety of him and his family.

Does he have any rights to proceed charges against the newspapers?

Any help will be appreciated.

[jackthehat]

I really bloody hope he does !!
He could possibly get a 'half-hour' with a Solicitor to talk it through. See if any firms in your area will see him under this scheme.

Gutter press !

[bednobs]

information on facebook is in the public domain. i don't understand; if he refused to have any photos taken, there wouldn't have been any photos!

[squarebear]

Indeed. If he has published the photos on facebook, anyone can grab them.

[Bulbultown]

Hi,

We have just been wondering if its worth the costs and what the extent of costs could be.

The people who did it have been arrested, let out on bail and rearrested. It is definitely a safety concern.

Any help guys?

Thanks

[Bulbultown]

Hi,

Thanks for your responses.

His profile is locked up, so we don't know how the picture was taken. One newspaper published them and then another picked it up. This is evident coz the picture quality is not the best.

[ummmm]

If he set his privacy settings he might have known that anyone could grab them. Not all people are computer savvy...

[ummmm]

He might NOT have known..

[squarebear]

One of his "friends" on facebook will have got hold of them. If something is on the internet, someone will always be able to get at it.

[jackthehat]

It's not just about the photo...............it's the remainder of the reportage. His safety and that of his family 'could' be in real danger because of the bloody-minded mentality of some newspaper editors.

Check for Solicitors who operate the 'green-form scheme' (that's what it used to be called, anyway).

[Bulbultown]

Hi,

I don't think he would qualify for legal aid or green form as it doesnt cover you.

A half hour with a solicitor seems like a very good option.

[hc4361]

Unless there is a court injunction banning reporting the newspaper has done nothing wrong.
There are many many reports in the papers where the 'target' has refused to comment but a 'close source' or 'unnamed friend' has provided photos and salacious details.

[Bulbultown]

Hi,

There was no court injunction. But there must be some protection for a victim of an attack by 5 cruel people.

This victim is also the witness to the attack and is in the most delicate situation of danger.

He is going to live in the same area, has a job at the same school. There must be something protecting the rights and privacy and most importantly ensuring the safety of the victim of a gruesome attack.

[mccfluff]

seems odd to me
just had a word with one of the editors, they found the situation "odd" normal practice would be to approach the family for an interview but not name them if they preffered to stay private, she said this was esp true given the circumstances as decribed, with the victim being a witness and should the interview be declined, they would still run it but given the nature, privacy would/should be respected

yes we have used pictures from facebook as its a public domain and quotes from friends and colleagues in replace of family - against their wishes. however not when criminal charges are being brought and the victim is a witness.

[Bulbultown]

Thanks guys. I am going to see if my friend can get some legal advice and take this forward.
At the end of the day, media is here for our rights but also needs to protect us and ensure a citizen's safety.