The woman who cannot be named for legal reasons lodged a writ claiming damages for the misuse of photos taken by an ex-partner.

The company operates outside the UK court's jurisdiction however; the woman's barristers got permission to issue the writ.

Hilary Carmichael, the woman's solicitor said: "She is saying that she never consented to the publication of her photographs. She contacted the website whenever she realised that her photographs were on it and requested that the material be removed.

"But they still remained on the website. On the website, the plaintiff is depicted as a prostitute and/or a sex worker and we are saying that the defendant has profited as a result of the publication to which our client did not give consent."

Carmichael is claiming on her client's behalf that the website are guilty of libel and malicious falsehood against her.

The pictures are said to have caused her client "substantial distress", this added to the fact that company refused to take down the pictures have added to her paid.

"We are saying that there is a very good arguable case," she said.

"In the event that the photographs are not removed, now that the writ has been served, we reserve the right to proceed in the next couple of days to seek an injunction forcing the defendant to make sure the photographs are removed and forcing an obligation on the defendant to start monitoring this type of site."

Four pictures were said to have appeared on the site and now the case has advanced to the High Court, granting leave to serve proceedings out of jurisdiction on a defended with a fixed address in New York.

New York