Overview
- Justice Pushpinder Saini granted summary judgment after the Kingdom failed to file a defence, ruling it had no real prospect of contesting the claims.
- The judgment finds Ghanem al‑Masarir’s iPhones were hacked with NSO’s Pegasus under direction or authorization of Saudi authorities and that the state was probably behind his 2018 Knightsbridge assault.
- Damages total £3,025,662, including more than £2.5 million for lost YouTube income, with Saudi Arabia also ordered to pay his legal costs.
- The court recorded severe depression and the effective end of al‑Masarir’s online career as consequences of the targeting and intimidation.
- NSO Group and the Saudi Embassy offered no immediate comment, and it remains unclear whether the kingdom will pay or seek to appeal.