Ireland’s Sunday World newspaper names actors, “breaks” UK super-injunction

Ireland’s Sunday World newspaper has “broken” a UK super injunction by publishing the names of two actors it says had an affair.

The front page story alleged that the actor, who is well known in Ireland and the UK, had an affair with a co-star of a major UK television show. One of the actors is said to have taken  out the super-injunction in the UK High Court.

With a super-injunction newspapers cannot print details of the gagging order or the name of the person who has obtained the injunction.

Such super-injunctions obtained in the London High Court only apply in England and Wales. As part of the super-injunction English and Welsh publications are unable to name the stars or the Irish newspaper involved.

As has happened previously social networking users have been breaking the order by tweeting and status-updating the names of the people who have supposedly obtained the orders.  Today several suers have also uploaded images of the Irish newspaper.

Last month Scotland’s Sunday Herald newspaper similarly “broke” a super-injunction by naming Ryan Giggs as the footballer who had obtained a gagging order in the English High Court.

While the print edition of the Sunday World newspaper has published the names of the actors the paper’s website has not.

Two weeks ago, in a landmark case, legal proceedings were begun again Twitter and its users over accusations of libel related to the breaking of a super-injunction on the social network.

Although the super injunction does not apply in the Republic of Ireland, the accusation, if untrue could be considered defamatory.