Terry fails to ‘gag’ newspaper in affair claims

ENGLAND captain John Terry was last night at the centre of yet another controversy as he was named as the sportsman behind a “super gagging order”.

His identity was revealed after Mr Justice Tugendhat gave his reasons at London’s High Court for lifting the order, which he originally granted at a private hearing last Friday.

It covered the alleged relationship between LNS – as married Terry was referred to in court – and Vanessa Perroncel, the ex-girlfriend of his England team-mate Wayne Bridge. Perroncel is a French underwear model.

Terry, who is expected to captain England at the World Cup finals this summer, is married to childhood sweetheart Toni Poole Terry and is the father of twins. He was named Dad of the Year last year in a Daddies Sauce survey.

Bridge, one of Terry’s closest friends and a former team-mate at Chelsea FC, is expected to be named in England’s World Cup squad by manager Fabio Capello.

The News of the World had been expected to argue that revealing the affair was in the public interest as any fallout between the players could affect team morale in the English camp and possibly influence selection for this year’s World Cup.

The judge, who heard that News Group Newspapers wanted to publish a story about the footballer last Sunday, said: “I accept that the information sought to be protected is not in the public domain in the sense that there is nothing left to be protected. But the evidence is that there has been wide circulation among those involved in the sport in question, including agents and others, and not just amongst those directly engaged in the sport.”

Because the information had become so widely available to so many people, it meant that an injunction was less necessary or proportionate than would otherwise be the case.

“Further, if – as I think likely – the real concern of the applicant in this case is the effect of publication upon the sponsorship business, then damages would be an adequate remedy if LNS succeeds at trial,” the judge said.

Tom Crone, News of the World legal manager, said they welcomed Mr Justice Tugendhat’s decision as “a long overdue breath of fresh air and common sense”.

Gagging orders like the one sought by John Terry have been granted to numerous other Premier League footballers and other celebrities.

A Chelsea spokesman said: “This is a personal matter for John Terry. The club will give John and his family all the support they need.”