The once-anonymous operator of controversial UK gossip forum Tattle Life, that draws up to 12 million monthly visitors, has been unmasked by a Northern Ireland court following a landmark defamation ruling.
Key Takeaways
- Sebastian Bond has been publicly named as the operator of Tattle Life, a UK-based website known for anonymous threads targeting influencers and private individuals.
- The site, which reportedly has drawn up to 12 million monthly visitors, has been described by critics as a platform for coordinated defamation, doxxing, and harassment.
- Bond operated the site under the alias “Helen McDougal” and also ran a vegan recipe brand called Nest and Glow.
- Neil and Donna Sands, a Northern Ireland couple, were awarded a combined £300,000 (AU$622,000) in damages in 2023 following a defamation case linked to a 45-page thread about them.
- The High Court has issued global freezing orders now totalling £1.8 million (AU$3.74M) as part of enforcement proceedings against Bond and his companies.
- Tattle Life is also under investigation by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office for suspected data law breaches.
- Tattle Life remains online and operational at the time of publication.
What is Tattle Life?
The hugely popular gossip forum launched in the UK in 2018, structured around user-generated threads which were mainly dedicated to public commentary on influencers, celebrities, and in some cases private individuals.
While the site claims to operate in the name of transparency and free speech, critics have claimed it functions as a hub for targeted abuse. They alleged that threads often included unverified claims about subjects’ relationships, parenting, finances, mental health, and appearance.
It has also been widely criticised for failing to provide subjects of its posts with any form of recourse.
Allegations of doxxing, stalking, body shaming and fabricated claims have been documented across thousands of threads. Despite this, the site has generated significant advertising revenue through high traffic – reportedly up to 12 million monthly visits, primarily from the UK.
Until now, the identity of the site’s creator had been concealed.
What has happened?
Entrepreneurs Neil and Donna Sands launched legal action in 2023 after discovering an extensive thread about their personal and professional lives on the platform.
The couple alleged defamation, harassment, invasion of privacy and data breaches. They say that after repeated requests for the content to be taken down were ignored, they initiated proceedings through the High Court in Northern Ireland.
In December 2023, the court awarded £300,000 in damages – £150,000 each – and granted injunctions designed to identify and freeze the assets of those behind the site. But that detail remained sealed.
Some 18 months later, on 13 June 2025, reporting restrictions were lifted, naming Sebastian Bond as the site’s operator.
Bond, a former wellness influencer with over 130,000 Instagram followers under the name “Bastian Durward,” published a vegan cookbook and ran the plant-based recipe blog Nest and Glow.
“Today, we secured a court order to unmask the site’s operator, who has used the false name ‘Helen McDougal’. Their true identity, however, is an Englishman named Sebastian Henry Bond, aka Bastian Durward (43),” Neil and Donna Sands said in a statement following the ruling.
“For some this court ruling comes sadly too late, as the site has cost innocent people their businesses, reputations and mental health. For others we hope it marks a turning point – a reminder that the internet is not an anonymous place.”
Investigators also alleged that Bond had transferred assets overseas, allegedly to frustrate enforcement efforts.
In a damning warning to Bond and the website, Justice McAlinden said “a day of reckoning will come for those behind Tattle Life and for those individuals who posted on Tattle Life.”
“To hasten that day of reckoning, it is appropriate that the court makes an award of damages to each plaintiff in this case… It would be remiss of the court to award costs on any other basis than indemnity.”
Neil Sands who described the site as a “dark corner of the internet” said hearing stories from others hurt by “scurrilous commentary” also prompted the lengthy and expensive legal battle.
“What we have established today is that the internet is not an anonymous place… If you use it to cause harm, you can be held accountable.”
Neil Sands
“We undertook this case not just for ourselves but for the many people who have suffered serious personal and professional harm through anonymous online attacks on this and other websites,” Sands said.
“We believe in free speech, but not consequence-free speech – particularly where it is intended to, and succeeds in, causing real-world damage to people’s lives, livelihoods and mental health.
Crucial Quote
“This is clearly a case of peddling untruths for profit,” said Justice McAlinden. “The calculated exercise of extreme cynicism… constitutes behaviour solely aimed at making profit out of people’s misery.”
Big number
£1.8 million – the total value of freezing orders issued across jurisdictions to secure the judgment and associated legal costs.
What to watch for
The High Court is scheduled to revisit the matter on 26 June 2025, with additional disclosure and enforcement proceedings expected.
At the time of publication, Tattle Life remains online. The specific thread concerning Neil and Donna Sands was removed in May 2025, nearly two years after legal proceedings began. Other sections of the site remain active.
