A mother who no longer liked her child's middle name has won the right to have it removed in a legal challenge costing thousands of pounds in legal aid.

In the new case the mother, who cannot be named, objected to the child's middle name because it was the same as an infamous public figure which she said gave it negative connotations and would therefore harm the child.

But the father wants to keep the name arguing it is an essential part of the child's identity.

So the mother took the case to the family court where she was granted legal aid.

District judge Cooper ruled in her favour last year but the father was granted the right to appeal.

In a separate hearing in May this year the father assured the judge he would only use the child's first name and would not refer to the famous name in any correspondence.

But this week the appeal judge hearing the case in Lincoln, His Honour Judge Rogers, agreed that the continuing existence of the middle name would damage the child’s emotional welfare and upheld the order to have it removed by deed poll.

He said: "At birth the child was given two forenames by the parents and registered with both. The child is most commonly known by the first name but the father uses both and says he favours the middle name.