Mr Justice Bennett has delivered some tricky judgments in his time, but none as emotionally charged as yesterday’s. His decision on Monday that the judgment should be made public prompted Heather Mills to douse Sir Paul McCartney’s lawyer with a jug of water – just as the judge was leaving court.

The “baptism”, as Ms Mills later described it, was delivered with a vitriolic diatribe against the lawyer. Mr Justice Bennett, who is thought to have caught a glimpse of the episode, did not pause as he left the court. No contempt ruling is likely.

A source in court told The Times: “She [Heather Mills] was very unpleasant indeed – putting Fiona [Shackleton] in the same category of all the horrible and nasty things in her life.”

The judge recently broke new ground in outlining a fast-track procedure in a claim being brought by Susan Crossley against her fourth husband – ruling that their prenuptial agreement should be looked at before anything else. His other high-profile cases include a decision that a teen-ager’s human rights had not been infringed by her school’s refusal to let her wear full Islamic dress.

A High Court judge since 1995, Sir Hugh Bennett, 64, enjoys cricket, tennis shooting and fishing. He is married with four children.

David Rosen, a solicitor who acted as an informal adviser to Ms Mills and yesterday took her appeal against publication of the full judgment before the Court of Appeal, said: “There was a sound of a slow trickle of water . . . we thought, where’s that coming from?” He said that Ms Mills had been overcome towards the end of the hearing in which the judge was hearing argument and that he had had to take over. He declined to discuss the dousing of Miss Shackleton except to say that Ms Mills had felt “provoked in some way”, possibly by the judge’s decision.

He defended the way she had conducted the case. “She is very very intelligent and did a very good job. She got the result she envisaged – slightly better.” He said that he did not think Ms Mills would be giving interviews or writing any articles about the marriage. “My guess is that she has said her piece. I think that’s it.”

The couple would have to have a relationship for the sake of their daughter, he said. “They are both very good parents. In the interests of their daughter they will behave properly.”

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