THREE missing negatives from a batch of nude photographs of former Belfast Lord Mayor Sammy Wilson and a female friend are of a "sensitive nature", the Northern Ireland High Court has been told.
A barrister for Mr Wilson said yesterday 22 negatives had been handed over by the Sunday Worlo which had published a series of photographs of the DUP press officer and Ms Sharon Rivers on May 19th. Mr Jim Allister said they were from a roll of film that appeared to have 25 negatives.
Mr Wilson and Ms Rivers were concerned there were other unpublished photographs of a sensitive nature which they believed related to two of the three missing negatives. "They are particularly concerned that they remain somewhere in circulation," said Mr Allister. He said yesterday morning's hand over took place in the presence of two RUC officers who were investigating the theft of the negatives which had been passed on to police for forensic examination.
Mr Paul Spring, solicitor for the Sunday World and its Northern editor, Mr Jim McDowell, told the court: "Our clients have handed over all they have in the way of negatives." He opposed the continuation of injunctions granted last week restraining the paper and Mr McDowell from republishing the nude pictures or distributing them to other media outlets.
Mr Allister said his clients had suffered considerable humiliation by the original publication and a court undertaking not to republish would give them added security.
Mr Justice Campbell said while it was obviously a matter which had caused distress, he was reluctant to continue the injunctions until the trial of the action for damages for breach of copyright. But he said the injunctions would remain if the defendants were not prepared to give an undertaking in court not to republish.
Mr Spring said he had the authority to give such an undertaking, which I do now". Mr Justice Campbell said there was no need for the injunctions to continue.