Transgender activist wins High Court battle to force Mumsnet to reveal identity of ‘troll’

Stephanie Hayden (pictured) tweeted an image of a court order which requires Mumsnet to name the anonymous user who allegedly defamed her 

A transgender activist has won a High Court ruling ordering Mumsnet to reveal the identity of a user who allegedly abused her. 

Stephanie Hayden tweeted an image of the court order, issued by Mr Justice William Davis, which requires the parenting website to name the anonymous user and provide their address, email and date of birth.  

On the caption she wrote: ‘The days of defaming, abusing, and harassing transgender people on Mumsnet behind the cloak of anonymity are over.’

The comments left by ‘ALittleHelp18’ contained claims of criminality that Ms Hayden said were defamatory, reported The Times, so obtaining the user’s name could allow her to pursue legal action. 

Mumsnet now has until 4pm tomorrow to comply with the order. 

It did not contest the application, but its founder, Justine Roberts, said: ‘Clearly, if we thought the details we released might be used maliciously, we would be happy to contest the order if one of our users asked us to do so.’

Ms Hayden has been involved in several of online spats in recent years. 

In 2018, she reported Father Ted creator Graham Linehan to the police for ‘transphobic harassment’ after he shared a tweet saying she was a ‘dangerous troll’. 

Sitcom writer Mr Linehan was given a verbal harassment warning by West Yorkshire Police after transgender activist Miss Hayden reported him for referring to her by her previous names and pronouns on Twitter. 

And in February, a mother was arrested in front of her children and locked up for seven hours after referring to Ms Hayden as a man online. 

The order, issued by Mr Justice William Davis, also requires the parenting website to provide the user's address, email and date of birth, if available

The order, issued by Mr Justice William Davis, also requires the parenting website to provide the user’s address, email and date of birth, if available 

Three officers detained Kate Scottow at her home before quizzing her at a police station about an argument with an Ms Hayden on Twitter over so-called ‘deadnaming’.

The 38-year-old, from Hitchin, Hertfordshire, had her photograph, DNA and fingerprints taken. 

Mrs Scottow denied harassing or defaming Miss Hayden and said she holds a ‘genuine and reasonable belief’ that a human ‘cannot practically speaking change sex’. 

As well as potential police action, she is facing a £25,000 civil lawsuit over alleged defamation, use of private information and ‘harassment’.

She has also agreed to been made the subject of an injunction that bans her from writing about Miss Hayden online.

High Court papers, filed by Miss Hayden, accuse Mrs Scottow of a ‘campaign of targeted harassment’ against Miss Hayden between September and December last year, allegedly motivated by her ‘status as a transgender woman’, including messages sent from two separate Twitter accounts.

But Mrs Scottow’s has filed a defence insisting: ‘[Mrs Scottow] holds a genuine and reasonable belief, which is fundamental to her existence and worthy of respect in a democratic society that a mammal, specifically a human, cannot practically change sex.’

Ms Hayden has been involved in several of online spats in recent years. In 2018, she reported Father Ted creator Graham Linehan to the police for 'transphobic harassment' after he shared a tweet saying she was a 'dangerous troll'

Mother Kate Scottow was arrested by police after referring to Ms Hayden as a man online

Ms Hayden has been involved in several of online spats in recent years. In 2018, she reported Father Ted creator Graham Linehan (left) to the police for ‘transphobic harassment’. Kate Scottow (right) was arrested by police after referring to Ms Hayden as a man online

Writing on online forum Mumsnet, Mrs Scottow – who has also been served with a court order that bans her from referring to her accuser as a man – claimed: ‘I was arrested in my home by three officers, with my autistic ten-year-old daughter and breastfed 20-month-old son present.

‘I was then detained for seven hours in a cell with no sanitary products (which I said I needed) before being interviewed then later released under investigation … I was arrested for harassment and malicious communications because I called someone out and misgendered them on Twitter.’

Confirming the arrest, Hertfordshire Police said: ‘We take all reports of malicious communication seriously.’

The court papers filed by Miss Hayden claim that, as a ‘toxic’ debate raged online over plans to allow people to ‘self-ID’ as another gender, Mrs Scottow tweeted ‘defamatory’ messages about Miss Hayden.

Miss Hayden also campaigned against Sussex University over perceived ‘transgender hostility’ and was among those who pressurised a billboard company to remove a poster in Liverpool, which said the dictionary definition of ‘woman’ was an ‘adult human female’.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk