17 December 2013
Newsdesk
Harry Styles has won a court order to stop paparazzi harassing him.
The One Direction heartthrob had tried to persuade a group of photographers to voluntarily stop hassling him, but had to apply to the High Court as a last resort says his counsel David Sherborne.
The injunction stops the group of paparazzi from pursuing the 19-year-old by car or motorbike, placing him under surveillance, loitering or waiting within 50 metres of his place of residence to monitor his movements or take photos of him.
His lawyer stressed that this was not a ban on fans approaching him, just a select few photographers who constantly follow him.
"Mr Styles is not trying to prevent fans approaching him in the street and taking photos. He remains happy to do that, as he always has.
"Rather, it is the method or tactics which have been used by a certain type of photographer," David stated.
Harry did not attend the brief hearing, but was in London at the time for his performance on the UK version of The X Factor.
A request had been made to the Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency seeking the names and addresses of the keepers of the vehicles which were identified as belonging to four of the photographers in question, and a letter had been sent to the photographic agencies which engaged them or used their photos.
Another hearing will be held in the week beginning January 13 which will decide how the action should proceed.
Harry's bandmates have previously expressed they don't mind the flash of a camera when they're out and about.
"If we go out on a night out and we get a little bit drunk, it's not obviously going to be great picture but it's not too embarrassing. The fact is we're young, and everyone our age is doing what we're doing anyway. Everyone complains about paps, but we always have a laugh with them," Louis Tomlinson told the Associated Press.
"They have a job to do, so let them do it," conceded Niall Horan.
