A reporter stood up in court to challenge a legal order preventing The Brighton Argus interviewing a woman whose daughter had been taken by her father.

Brighton County Court had allowed limited details of Anne-Marie Kingshott, her three-year-old daughter and the child’s father to be published in a press release issued by her solicitors.

But Argus reporter Caroline Pattenden was told that the judge had refused her faxed request to be able to interview and photograph Miss Kingshott.

Caroline, (25), attended a hearing at the family court to ask the judge to change his mind.

She said: “I have never had any reason to challenge a legal order before. I knew I had good grounds for asking the judge to change his mind but I was nervous.

“The judge thanked the press for its involvement in the case and said he was grateful The Argus was involved.

“The details of the amendment were talked through and he agreed we should be allowed to publish an interview with Anne-Marie and a photo of her and Danielle, her daughter.

“I could not see why this had not been allowed from the start and Anne-Marie told me later she was just as pleased as I was she was able to talk to us.”

Miss Kingshott told how she had gone with her partner to a hotel for two days, leaving Danielle with his parents.

He gave her money to go shopping in the morning but by 8pm she realized something was wrong and came home to discover that her partner and his parents their son Stephen and Danielle had all disappeared along with clothes, furniture and toys.