The story you're not allowed to read: Article printed by major US publication contains details of the 'embarrassing' photos of Kate Winslet's husband - which are blocked by an injunction in England and Wales

  • Images of semi-naked Ned Rocknroll at a party are subject of an injunction
  • This bans the photographs from being published in England and Wales
  • Alleged contents of pictures now been revealed in a major US publication
  • Here, we reveal the parts those in England and Wales ARE allowed to read

By Corey Charlton for MailOnline

Published: 12:42 EST, 18 May 2016 | Updated: 17:40 EST, 18 May 2016

This is the story you're not allowed to read - the graphic details of photographs of Kate Winslet's husband, described in detail by a major U.S. publication.

The images of a semi-naked Ned Rocknroll at a fancy dress party are the subject of an injunction banning them from being published in England and Wales.

Mr Rocknroll, 38, who married the Oscar-winner in 2012, has spent years trying to suppress the pictures that were taken in 2010.

 

 

This is the article printed in the US - an injunction in England and Wales means many details cannot be shown

This is the article printed in the US - an injunction in England and Wales means many details cannot be shown

The images of a semi-naked Ned Rocknroll taken at a fancy dress party in 2010 are the subject of an injunction banning them from being published in England and Wales (he is pictured with wife Kate Winslet in January)

The images of a semi-naked Ned Rocknroll taken at a fancy dress party in 2010 are the subject of an injunction banning them from being published in England and Wales (he is pictured with wife Kate Winslet in January)

Lawyers for Mr Rocknroll, who is the nephew of billionaire tycoon Richard Branson, said the snaps showed him indulging in ‘silly schoolboy antics’ when they demanded an injunction three years later.

But they were considered so embarrassing that they would cause distress if made public, particularly to Miss Winslet’s then two children, who could face bullying at school.

The couple have since had a son together.

Mr Rocknroll’s lawyers claimed it would be a breach of their client’s privacy and there was no public interest in their publication.

The incident is the latest in a long line of celebrity injunctions that have made a mockery of the law.

The publication, which is read by millions, plastered his name across two pages, as well as publishing detailed descriptions of the photographs and an account of the extensive legal battle to keep them hidden.

Last night, campaigners branded the situation ‘farcical’ and ‘absurd’ and said it is ‘embarrassing’ that the UK justice system is so ‘out of touch’.

Lawyers for Mr Rocknroll, who is the nephew of billionaire tycoon Richard Branson, said the snaps showed him indulging in ¿silly schoolboy antics¿ when they demanded an injunction three years later

Lawyers for Mr Rocknroll, who is the nephew of billionaire tycoon Richard Branson, said the snaps showed him indulging in ‘silly schoolboy antics’ when they demanded an injunction three years later

The High Court agreed to ban the images of Mr Rocknroll from being published in 2013, even though they had been publicly available on the Facebook page of his friend James Pope for two-and-a-half years before they fell into the hands of a national newspaper.

John Hemming, the former Lib Dem MP who exposed footballer Ryan Giggs’s infidelity in the Commons in 2011 while it was protected by an injunction, said: ‘The whole thing is absurd, it’s a farcical situation.

‘If people don’t want to be embarrassed about something, don’t do it’.

Mr Rocknroll and Miss Winslet, 40, said in a joint statement in 2013: ‘We have stopped The Sun from publishing semi-naked photos of Ned taken by a friend at a private 21st birthday party a few years ago.

‘The photos are innocent but embarrassing and there is no reason to splash them across a newspaper.’

The couple are among a number of celebrities to use draconian measures in the British courts to suppress secrets – only for them to become widely known and reported around the world.

Earlier this month, a top actor – who enjoys the image of a family man – was unmasked in the US as a customer of prostitute Helen Wood.

Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.