A High Court judge overseeing a case involving Rangers has raised an offside flag after telling how he had been targeted by internet bloggers

Mr Justice Peter Smith told lawyers that he had wrongly been accused of being a Freemason - and his wife had wrongly been accused of supporting Rangers.

The judge said he was not a Freemason - and he said his wife was from Edinburgh.

He has been asked to make decisions about a business dispute involving a sportswear firm run by Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley and Rangers.

And said he wanted lawyers to know what bloggers were saying after a preliminary High Court hearing in London.

Mr Justice Smith said his clerk had received emails responding to "various blogs".

"One of the blogs insists that I am a Freemason, which is wrong," said the judge.

"Also, my wife is a 'life-long Rangers supporter'."

He added: "She is from Edinburgh. The idea that she would support any Glasgow team is laughable."

Sportswear firm Sports Direct is claiming that Rangers breached a confidential agreement.

Mr Justice Smith is due to analyse evidence at a High Court trial in London in February.

The judge said he wanted to mark his disapproval of Sports Direct's approach after analysing preliminary issues in the dispute at a High Court hearing in London.

Mr Justice Smith said Sports Direct had initially claimed £200,000 damages. It had then reduced the damages claim to £50,000.

Now it was not claiming any damages – but wanted the imposition of injunctions.

Mr Justice Smith said £200,000 was a threshold figure.

Claims for damages of £200,000 or more were analysed by judges in the High Court, while lesser damages claims were heard in lower civil courts.

He said he was "extremely suspicious" about the £200,000 figure.

The judge added: "The whole way that the claimants have been conducting themselves ... shows that they have been abusing processes of the court in relation to the damages claim."

A lawyer representing Rangers had earlier also complained about Sports Direct's approach.

Barrister William McCormick QC told the judge: "They simply will not deal with us on a proper basis.

"I am sure it is not the lawyers. It must be because they are held by their instructions."

Mr Justice Smith is due to analyse evidence at a High Court trial in London in February.

At an earlier hearing, Mr Justice Smith dismissed a bid by Mr Ashley's representatives to have Rangers chairman Dave King sent to prison over the alleged breach of confidentiality.

The judge told Mr Ashley's lawyers he was "staggered that your client thinks it's so serious that it applies to put Mr King in prison".  

"This is one very large stick you wish to put over Mr King," he added.

Three years ago Mr Justice Smith oversaw a case involving Portsmouth – and told Portsmouth fans at a hearing that he was a Hull City fan. Mr Justice Smith's biography in Debrett's People of Today lists one of his "recreations" as football.