Judges reject challenge to Leveson II cancellation

FOUR victims of ‘serious media intrusion’ yesterday lost a High Court battle with the Government over its decision to cancel the second part of the Leveson Inquiry.

Christopher Jefferies, Kate and Gerry McCann and Jacqui Hames brought a judicial review in a bid to make the Government reconsider.

But their case was rejected by Lord Justice Davis and Mr Justice Ouseley. Lord Justice Davis said: ‘I have... a great deal of sympathy for the claimants. I can readily understand their bitter disappointment at what has eventuated.

‘But I am afraid that sympathy cannot override the law, and I can see absolutely no basis for these grounds of claim.’

The second part of Leveson was to look into unlawful conduct within media organisations as well as relations between police and Press. But the Government said in March that reopening the ‘costly and time-consuming’ inquiry, was not ‘the right way forward’.

At an earlier hearing, counsel for the four argued that then-premier David Cameron made a ‘clear commitment’ at a 2012 meeting that the inquiry would go ahead.

But Lord Justice Davis said Mr Cameron made ‘no such promise’. The judge also found it ‘unacceptable’ that the case was based on a covert recording of the meeting said to have been made by a colleague of an MP who was present.