By Gavin Mackintosh And Sheila Mckenzie-
Prince Harry is happy after being awarded £140,000 in damages after Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) was found guilty of “extensive” phone hacking and unlawful information gathering spanning nearly two decades, from the mid-1990s until 2011.
Harry was the most high profile of over 100 claimants – including the estate of George Michael – who were involved in the wider litigation. He was seeking £440,000 in damages.
He is the first royal in over a century to appear in the witness box of a court hearing.
In a statement read outside court by his barrister David Sherborne, Harry hailed the court victory as a “warning to all media organisations” who have used illegal newsgathering methods.
“I’ve been told slaying dragons will get you burnt”, he said. “In light of today’s victory and the importance of doing what is needed for a fair and honest press, it’s worthwhile price to pay.”
In relation to other ongoing legal cases he is pursuing against publishers of the Daily Mail and The Sun, he added: “The mission continues.”
Harry said Parliament, the Leveson Inquiry into press standards, and the Stock Exchange had been “misled” by MGN executives, and called for fresh investigations to be opened, including by the police.
He said authorities should “do their duty for the British public and investigate, bring charges against the company and anyone involved in breaking the law.”
In the statement, Prince Harry said: “This is not just about hacking, it’s about a systemic practice of unlawful and appalling behaviour followed by a cover-up and destruction of evidence, the shocking scale of which can only be revealed through these proceedings.
“Principle Board directors, the legal director, senior executives such as Piers Morgan, knew about or were involved in this illegal activity.”
He suggested lies have been told under oath to Parliament, as well as to the Leveson Inquiry, to the Stock Exchange, and “to us all”.
“Patience is in fact a virtue, especially in the face of vendetta journalism”, he added.
“Mirror Group persistently attempted to suggest my claim was fantastical, in the realms of total speculation, and there was simply no evidence at all to suggest I was hacked. Zilch, zero, nil, nada, niet. Absolutely not.
“All of that was total nonsense and used maliciously to attack my character and credibility.
“As Mirror Group intended, these hollow soundbites were blasted across the front pages and across online platforms and into the next day’s television shows.
“The court has confirmed all four claimants were subjected to voicemail interception unlawfully.”
Test Case
The duke of sussex case was used as one of four test cases to establish facts that can be used to award damages to other complainants. It was heard alongside claims brought by the Coronation Street actors Michael Turner and Nikki Sanderson, and Fiona Wightman, the former wife of the comedian Paul Whitehouse
High Court judge, Mr Justice Fancourt ruled there “can be no doubt” that the former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan and other senior editors and lawyers at the newspaper group knew about phone hacking and other illegal information gathering.
The judgment highlights a widespread culture of illegal activities at MGN, implicating several high-profile individuals, including Prince Harry, Coronation Street star Michael Le Vell, and journalists Piers Morgan and Omid Scobie.
Harry said since bringing the claim almost five years ago, “defamatory stories and intimidating tactics” had been used against him and his family. “I, too, have learned through this process patience is in fact a virtue – especially in the face of vendetta journalism.”
The trial exposed the methods of the British tabloid newspapers, as well as the roles of the former Mirror editors, including Morgan and a network of private investigators.
The judge ruled that unlawful investigations began in 1995 and were widespread from 1996 onwards; phone hacking began in 1996 and was “widespread and habitual” from 1998. He added that senior editors were aware of the activity but “the editors of the three newspapers did not report what they knew”.
The activity was more controlled from 2006 – after the arrest of the News of the World’s former royal editor Clive Goodman – but “remained an important tool for the kind of journalism being practised” until 2011, the judge said.
Of the 51 investigators used by the publisher and mentioned in court, Mr Justice Fancourt found that 11 were “very substantially” involved in unlawful information-gathering for the journalists and editors.
Harry’s lawyers argued that senior editors and executives at the newspaper group were aware about and approved the wrongdoings
The judge ruled that key figures at the newspaper group, some of whom now hold senior roles at other organisations, were aware of illegal activity, including Richard Wallace, now head of TV at Murdoch’s News UK and Gary Jones, now the editor of the Daily Express.
He said that while most of the directors of Trinity Mirror plc – the former name for MGN – did not know about illegal activity, two did. Paul Vickers, the group legal director, “certainly knew about phone hacking from about the end of 2003” while the ex-Mirror chief executive Sly Bailey knew of hacking and “turned a blind eye”.
The executives “knew about the illegal activity that was going at their newspapers and could and should have put a stop to it. Instead of doing so, they turned a blind eye to what was going on, and positively concealed it,” he said.
Decades of Unlawful Practices at MGN Revealed
The court’s findings outline a disturbing pattern of unlawful practices at MGN, encompassing voicemail interception and illegal information gathering.
The report details that such activities were “widespread” across MGN’s publications—the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror, and Sunday People—from 1996 onwards.
The illegal practices, including phone hacking, became habitual from 1998 and persisted until 2011, even during the Leveson Inquiry into press intrusion.
The court revealed that the illegal activities continued but in a more controlled manner post-2006, suggesting a shift in tactics rather than a complete cessation.
The court determined that 15 out of 33 articles he complained about were the result of phone hacking and unlawful information gathering. While the Duke of Sussex’s phone was hacked to a “modest extent” between 2003 and 2009, damages of £140,600 were awarded.
The compensation not only reflects the unlawful activities but also acknowledges the “particular hurt and sense of outrage” Prince Harry experienced due to MGN directors’ complicity, who knowingly turned a blind eye to the illegal activities.
However, the court emphasized that MGN’s role in Prince Harry’s suffering was relatively small compared to the broader press intrusion and unlawful activities he endured.
In the case of Coronation Street star Michael Le Vell, voicemail interception and unlawful information gathering were employed to a “limited extent.” The court noted that MGN considered Le Vell’s personal life less interesting to readers compared to his co-star Nikki Sanderson.
Four of the 27 articles Le Vell complained about were obtained through illegal means, resulting in an awarded compensation of £31,650.
Nikki Sanderson and Fiona Wightman: Cases Dismissed on Technical Grounds
Nikki Sanderson, former co-star of Le Vell, and Fiona Wightman, ex-wife of comedian Paul Whitehouse, saw their cases dismissed on technical grounds. Both cases were filed six years past the limitation period, rendering them out of time.
Nonetheless, evidence of unlawful activity was found in nine out of 37 articles related to Sanderson and in one of Wightman’s articles and 15 private investigator invoices. The dismissals raise questions about the intricacies of the legal timeline versus the merits of the cases.
Biographer Appeared As A Witness
Unofficial biographer of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Omid Scobie, emerged as a crucial witness. A former student journalist with MGN, Scobie testified that phone hacking was treated as a standard newsgathering technique, revealing an invoice and details about a story involving Kylie Minogue and James Gooding that allegedly relied on phone hacking.
The court deemed Scobie a “reliable witness,” accepting his account of Morgan’s involvement in the controversial story.
The Mirror group released a statement saying it “apologises unreservedly” for where “historical wrongdoing took place”
Prince Harry, through his lawyer said: “Today is a great day for truth as well as accountability”
Repercussions and Reflection
The court’s judgment marks a significant moment, revealing the extent of phone hacking and unlawful practices within the media industry, particularly at MGN.
It calls for a reflection on journalistic ethics, media regulation, and the responsibilities of media organizations to protect the privacy of individuals.