Witness Statement under CPR Part 32: pseudonymise third-party identifiers – UK GDPR-compliant anonymisation per CPR Part 32
Witness statements served under CPR Part 32 frequently name non-party individuals — bystanders, colleagues, family members — whose personal data is incidental to the dispute; anonym.legal replaces those identifiers with consistent pseudonyms across the statement and any annexed exhibits, preserving the evidential narrative while limiting unnecessary data exposure under UK GDPR.
When this applies
Applies when a solicitor is preparing or reviewing a witness statement that names or describes third parties who are not parties to the proceedings and whose personal data is not strictly necessary in clear form at the internal drafting stage.
How anonym.legal handles it
- Upload the draft witness statement and any exhibits in DOCX or PDF format.
- anonym.legal identifies third-party names, addresses, telephone numbers, and other personal identifiers throughout the statement.
- Each non-party is pseudonymised consistently so all references to the same individual are replaced with the same pseudonym.
- The deponent's own name and the names of parties are retained in clear (configured via the party-names allow-list).
- The factual narrative, dates, and evidential content remain unaltered.
- An encrypted reversible mapping is stored; the solicitor can restore clear names when finalising the statement for service.
- The final served version is produced by re-identifying from the mapping key before signing and filing.
What you provide
- Draft witness statement (DOCX or PDF)
- Exhibits annexed to the statement
- Party-names allow-list (claimant, defendant, deponent)
Limitations & cautions
- The statement of truth and the deponent's identity must appear in clear in the filed version — confirm re-identification before service.
- anonym.legal does not verify that the statement complies with the CPR Part 32 formal requirements (e.g. heading, statement of truth wording).
FAQ
Can the same pseudonym session cover multiple witness statements for the same matter?
Yes, upload all statements together in one session so the engine assigns consistent pseudonyms across the full set — 'Witness A' in statement one will be the same individual as 'Witness A' in statement two.
Does pseudonymisation extend to photographs or plans annexed as exhibits?
Image-based exhibits are not currently processed for embedded text. Redact any personal data in image exhibits manually before upload.
Is the pseudonymised draft suitable for sharing with counsel for opinion?
Yes — sharing pseudonymised drafts with counsel limits data exposure at the advice stage. Counsel may need the clear version if the identity of a witness is legally material to the advice.
Related tasks
- Expert Report under CPR Part 35: redact non-party personal data
- Specific Disclosure Application under CPR Part 31: prepare redacted exhibit
- Redacted exhibits under CPR Part 31: pseudonymise non-party data in disclosed exhibits
- Third-party witness materials: pseudonymise before sharing with instructed experts