Who? Jonathan Bridge, partner, Farleys Solicitors, Manchester. 

Jonathan Bridge

Why is he in the news? Represented a woman awarded almost £100,000 in damages after her former partner covertly recorded her naked and then published the images online.

Thoughts on the case: ‘The case is thought to be the first of its type to come before the civil courts in England and Wales. From my perspective there are two important things to take from the judgment.

‘Firstly, the court accepted that “revenge porn” is a misnomer. The court preferred the description suggested by counsel – and used in the judgment – of “image-based abuse”.

‘“Revenge porn” is misleading. It suggests some fault on the part of the victim for which revenge is being enacted. If you consider the facts of FGX v Gaunt you will see that nothing could be further from the truth.

‘Secondly, Mrs Justice Thornton gave a clear indication as to how seriously the courts view these cases. An award was made of £60,000 for pain and suffering which is akin to the damages you may expect to achieve in a rape case. The long-term psychiatric impact here was similar to a rape victim. The claimant had chronic post-traumatic stress disorder causing an enduring personality change. The court also accepted a claim for the cost of removing images from the internet together with various other losses and treatment costs.’

Dealing with the media: ‘Much of the work I do is sensitive as it involves victims of abuse. In this particular case the question of anonymity was considered at length with the claimant and counsel. The client was understandably keen to maintain her anonymity but equally felt strongly that the defendant should be “named and shamed”. She felt that naming him in the judgment and therefore in the press would bring accountability for what he had done and may alert other victims to his conduct. We accordingly made representations to the court that the claimant’s identity should be anonymised whereas the defendant should not benefit from anonymity hence FGX v Gaunt.’

Why did you become a lawyer? ‘My dad! He encouraged me down the legal path. He even took me to court to watch Eldred Tabachnik QC in action when he represented my father’s employer (Preston Borough Council) in a case involving the closure of Preston Docks.’

Career high: ‘Representing the official solicitor in A and S v Lancashire County Council. A and S were brothers who had been failed terribly by the local authority and termed “statutory orphans” by Mr Justice Peter Jackson in the Family Court. We settled the case shortly before trial for nearly £10 million – by far the biggest award for a case of this nature.’

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