A High Court judge has refused a Co Antrim couple permission to appeal a decision that removed their £300,000 damages award in a case against the founder of Tattle Life.

Neil and Donna Sands had won £150,000 each in December 2023 after claiming they were subjected to harassment, defamation and privacy breaches on the gossip site.

The court had previously frozen £1.8 million in worldwide assets belonging to founder Sebastian Bond and two companies to secure payment.

Mr Justice Humphreys ruled earlier this month that the original court documents had not been properly served on Bond or Kumquat Tree Ltd.

He set aside the damages judgment and lifted the asset freeze after finding the service process flawed.

The Sands sought leave to appeal that decision and asked for a stay to keep the asset freeze in place.

The judge refused both requests, stating the couple had not shown an arguable case that his ruling was wrong.

The couple now have a limited period to seek permission directly from the Court of Appeal for any further challenge.