Judge refuses to restrict coverage of Ruth Hickey case

Lawyers for the partner of Twink's ex-husband have failed to gag the media in her court case against the Sunday World.

Thirty-six-year-old Dubliner Ruth Hickey is taking a defamation and privacy action against the newspaper over articles published about her in May and August 2006.

Lawyers for Ruth Hickey today made a last-minute effort to restrict media coverage of her legal action against the Sunday World.

Senior counsel Turlough O'Sullivan argued that the manner in which the case had been reported breached the 36-year-old's constitutional right to privacy.

But High Court President Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns refused. He said there was no point in restricting coverage, as the information is already out there.

Today's application came after the evidence concluded in Ruth Hickey's defamation and privacy action.

She objects to the publication of a photo of her, David Agnew and their now four-year-old son and claims an article quoting a rant left on Agnew's answering machine by his ex-wife Twink wrongly portrays her (Hickey) as a prostitute.