Angus McCullough QC and Shaheen Rahman were instructed as Special Advocates for GG in the long running case of Secretary of State for the Home Department v GG [2016] EWHC 1193 (Admin). Collins J held that the imposition and renewals of a control order between 2006 and 2010 were lawful and based upon reasonable grounds for suspecting that GG had been involved in terrorist-related activity.

The control order was the subject of a previous appeal, predating AF(No 3) v SSHD [2010] 2 AC 209. In that case the House of Lords determined the extent of disclosure required in such proceedings and held that Article 6 required that the controllee be given sufficient information about the allegations against him to enable him to give effective instructions to his special advocate. General assertions were insufficient and matters in GG’s case accordingly fell to be redetermined applying the correct approach.

Whilst the control order and renewals were upheld, a condition preventing GG from living with his family in Derby and requiring his relocation to Cardiff – asserted by him to have led to the breakdown of his marriage – was found not to have been necessary and quashed.

It is not yet known if there will be an appeal or further proceedings arising from the judgment.

Read the judgment here.