A millionaire rock star today won the right to keep his identity hidden while facing allegations of sexual misconduct.
Lawyers for the singer fought off an attempt by media groups to lift a reporting ban on disclosing the artist's name. The musician is accused of traumatising singer, Linda Gail Lewis - a sister of rock and roll legend Jerry Lee Lewis, before wrongfully sacking her.
At Cardiff Employment Tribunal, tribunal chairman Philip Davies turned down an application by Ms Joanne Cash on behalf of Ulster Television, Associated Newspapers, Mirror Group Newspapers and Trinity Holdings Ltd to lift the reporting restriction, which prevents the star being identified.
Mr Davies said: "The overriding consideration is that necessity to ensure the due administration of justice is not interfered with and for that reason and that reason alone we have decided not to revoke the order."
The tribunal heard that the singer had expressed concern at giving evidence if the reporting ban was lifted.
Linda Gail Lewis, a 54-year-old singer and pianist of Penarth, Cardiff, south Wales, alleges sexual misconduct and unfair dismissal by the rock star after collaborating and performing with him.
The tribunal today heard she was allegedly the subject of numerous unwanted sexual advances and professional humiliation from the singer.
He is accused of pressuring Ms Lewis to divorce her husband and marry him instead, telling her not to sleep with her husband. At one stage it is claimed he ordered her to guarantee her husband would not shoot him if she left him because he knew the husband possessed a gun.
It is also alleged in May 2000 while in a hotel party that he told Ms Lewis to find a beautiful woman so he could have sex with both of them, and, at a later date, that he requested oral sex from Ms Lewis.
The eight-times married mother-of-four previously told the tribunal that the singer humiliated her during a performance on stage, traumatised her and also screamed at her down the phone.
Ms Lewis, who appears at the tribunal under the married name of her husband of 10 years, Braddock, claims she was sacked after telling the star she was going to leave at the end of the tour.
She also argues that she is owed thousands of pounds in damages for earnings she never received.
Ms Lewis is awaiting a reserved judgment from the tribunal on a preliminary hearing to decide whether she was in fact an employee of the star's and whether she can take her case against him forward in the employment tribunal.
He denies all the allegations and claims she was not a full-time employee of his.
Miss Cash, on behalf of the media groups, said she was likely to launch an appeal in a bid to challenge the reporting ban.
PA