From www.lineone.net (Sky News)
SPICE GIRLS' EX-CHAUFFEUR CHALLENGES 'GAGGING ORDER'
The Spice Girls' ex-chauffeur went to the High Court today to
challenge a "gagging" order he says prevents him telling his
story about the group.
Paul Attridge, 31, is urging Mr Justice Buckley in London either
to discharge or vary an injunction granted to the band by another
High Court judge earlier this year.
The Spice Girls sought the injunction against their former driver
after an article was published in a Sunday newspaper in May in
which Mr Attridge made allegations about the reason for Geri
Halliwell (Ginger Spice) leaving the group.
His counsel Kevin Garnett QC told the judge today that the injunction
granted by Mr Justice Moses in June amounted to a "complete gag".
The order was that, until trial or further order, Mr Attridge
must not disclose any information relating to the girls' sexual
or emotional lives, details relating to their business, legal
or financial affairs or their spending habits.
He said Mr Attridge, who wished to write a book about his time
with the group, only had what amounted to "tittle-tattle" and
trivia about the girls which came to him during his day to day
working with them. He had not deliberately eavesdropped or surreptitiously gathered
data.
In a written statement to the court, Mr Attridge, of Mulberry
Lodge, The Ridgeway, Enfield, Middlesex, who says he was dismissed
without notice by the group, says: "I just wish to simply disclose
a certain amount of truth about them as real people."
Mr Garnett told Mr Justice Buckley that as individuals the Spice
Girls had been "very successfully, but very carefully packaged
and put before the public".
The judge commented that they were one of the most "remarkable
marketing exercises" in the pop world in recent times.
Counsel said that because of the terms of the injunction granted
to the Spice Girls by Mr Justice Moses, Mr Attridge could not
write anything about them without fear of being held in contempt
of court, which could end in a jailing order against him.
The four Spice Girls - Victoria Adams (Posh), Emma Bunton (Baby),
Melanie Brown (Scary) and Melanie Chisholm (Sporty) and ex-member
Geri Halliwell - have already taken High Court action against
Mr Attridge to have him committed to prison for alleged contempt
claiming he breached the injunction by failing to hand over
"confidential"
material in his possession.
At a previous hearing on this issue Mr Attridge undertook to
hand over the material at the centre of the committal proceedings
to his own solicitor pending his application today to attempt
to overturn the injunction.
The bid by the Spice Girls to have him committed to prison -
proceedings brought to protect their privacy - is expected to
be dealt with by Mr Justice Buckley after the completion of Mr
Attridge's action against the injunction, which is being opposed
by lawyers on behalf of the band.Mr Garnett claimed that Mr Attridge
had been "badly treated and dismissed just like that" by the
group.
Mr Patrick Milmo QC, for the girls, opened his case before the
judge this afternoon by saying that Mr Garnett had suggested
Mr Attridge had been "shabbily treated" by being summarily dismissed
at their whim.
He had further suggested that Mr Attridge "had behaved almost
reasonably thereafter in providing information about the group
to a newspaper".
Mr Milmo said: "My clients' case is that they have been betrayed
and exploited by Mr Attridge in his conduct in selling for a
very substantial fee - I think the sum is 30,000 - sensitive,
potentially hurtful and embarrassing information about the group
which he acquired from the close contact that he enjoyed as the
result of being an extremely well remunerated driver for the
Spice Girls."
Mr Milmo said it was only when that conduct attracted these legal
proceedings that he "raised the allegation that he had been improperly
dismissed".
Said counsel: "I think we all know what is meant by the expression
'kiss-and-tell', well this is perhaps described as 'work-and-tell'."The
hearing was adjourned until tomorrow.
1998 Press Association