The London High Court has issued a stern reprimand to British-Pakistani boxing star Amir Khan and his wife Faryal Makhdoom, rejecting what it called their “misconceived and opportunistic” attempt to strike out the defence filed by women’s rights advocate Faryaal Hussain in their ongoing libel case.
In a sharply worded order, Master Davison dismissed the couple’s second strike-out application, marking the second failed bid to remove Hussain’s defence before trial. The Khans are suing her for £100,000, alleging reputational and financial damage over statements she made in a podcast appearance and an online petition concerning the couple.
The court criticised the Khans’ legal approach, noting the latest application had “delayed the progress of the case by some 6 months” and generated “unnecessary costs”. Master Davison said any issues with Hussain’s submissions could have been resolved through routine legal correspondence or a Part 18 Request, especially since she is representing herself.
In a particularly pointed observation, the Master said he suspected the couple’s motivation was to “avoid scrutiny/further scrutiny” of the allegations raised — a strategy he dismissed as improper grounds for such an order.
While the court struck out Hussain’s honest-opinion defence, it ruled that her truth and public-interest defences remain “reasonably arguable”, meaning the case will proceed to a full public trial. The judge noted that Hussain had already submitted extensive material and said striking out her entire defence would have been disproportionate.
Because the claim involves allegations linked to sexual misconduct, the court ordered that the women involved must not be named or identified.
The case, rooted in two publications from July and September 2023, is expected to draw intense media scrutiny as it moves forward, given that it will examine allegations of intimidation, blackmail, and sexual misconduct directed at the couple. Amir Khan and Faryal Makhdoom did not respond to queries, while Hussain continues to represent herself.
