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A JUDGE today accused Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct chain of abusing the court in a scathing dismissal of their attempt to have Rangers chairman Dave King jailed over a gagging order row.

Mr Justice Peter Smith heard how the billionaire sportswear boss had a “vendetta” against the Ibrox chief and questioned his side’s motives for bringing the case to the High Court in London.

And he accused the firm of using “muscular tactics” by threating to have King put in jail.

His written judgement, published yesterday (FRI), comes in the long running dispute between Sports Direct and King’s Ibrox regime over a commercial agreement between the two sides and a confidentiality agreement preventing discussion of some of its terms.

But Mr Justice Smith even rubbished that order, describing it as “unusual” as it didn’t stop Sports Direct from discussing the agreement and had no ending.

Sports Direct’s methods of serving the gagging order on the Rangers directors, including King were criticised in the judgement.

The firm accepted that they had failed to ensure it was served personally despite it being required under the court rules – a failing Mr Justice Smith said was “surprising given the apparent seriousness of the issue”.

Sports Direct blamed the fact King is based in South Africa for the failure to serve the order personally, an excuse the judge said was “poor”.

According to the judgement, King also felt he was “lured” into coming to the UK for a meeting with Sports Direct towards the end of last year where he ended up being served with a separate set of court papers relating to the current contempt of court action.

Sports Direct claimed King had breached the gagging order on Rangers during an interview with Sky Sports presenter Jim White in July 2012 but the judge said he was “completely unpersuaded” that he was speaking on behalf of the club.

He said it “is quite plain in my view that it is a ‘lifestye’ interview that took place at Mr King’s house in South Africa.

“Many things were discussed beyond Rangers Football Club. I do not accept that it can be established beyond reasonable doubt that in giving the interview Mr King was acting as a director of Rangers.”

In his evidence, King said he did not speak to the Rangers board about the Sky Sports interview or have any comments authorised by then so didn’t see it being done with his “RIFC Chairman hat” on.

The judge dismissed the Sports Direct claim that the contents of the interview had breached the gagging order as they had “failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that what Mr King says is untrue which is an essential requirement to fasten Rangers with liability for what he said”.

He described their arguments as being “fatally flawed”.

Mr Justice Smith concluded: “I have referred to Mr King’s evidence, which is unchallenged, that Mr Ashley is pursuing a vendetta against him.

“Further I questioned what damage was being sustained by Sports Direct International even if it established the breaches.”

He said bringing the case to court was “utterly disproportionate compared with what benefits would ensue”.

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He added that it was “undoubtedly the case that Sports Direct International’s whole procedure is an abuse and it should be dismissed for that reason”.

And speaking in court yesterday, after issuing the judgement, Mr Justice Smith said the “whole proceedings from first to last were designed to intimidate rather than to seek proper sanctions for an alleged breach”.

“These kind of muscular tactics of using a threat of committal is something which the courts should deplore.”

A further hearing, looking at the validity of the confidentiality agreeement, is due to call in court next month.