Prince Harry trial – latest: Piers Morgan says ‘I wouldn’t even know how to hack a phone’

Piers Morgan has claimed he did not know about phone-hacking taking place at the Mirror while he was editor of the newspaper.

It comes as allegations of unlawful information-gathering at the Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) was brought by Prince Harry and other celebrities to the High Court this week, with the third day of the trial set to resume today.

Speaking to the BBC before the trial began, Mr Morgan said: “I’ve never hacked a phone. I’ve never told anybody to hack a phone.”

The former editor added that phone hacking is completely wrong and was “lazy journalists being lazy”.

In written arguments heard on the trial’s second day, lawyer David Sherborne claimed “the systemic and widespread use of [private investigators] by Mirror Group Newspaper journalists to unlawfully obtain private information was authorised at senior levels”, including desk heads, editors, and senior executives.

Asked by reporters on Wednesday whether he would follow the company’s lead in apologising to Harry over one of the allegations involving private investigators, ex-Mirror editor Piers Morgan – who denies any knowledge of illegal activity at the paper – said he was “not going to take lectures on privacy invasion” from the royal.

Key Points

• Piers Morgan says ‘I wouldn’t even know how to hack a phone’

• Former Mirror editor 'lies at heart’ of claims against Mirror, court told

• Front page Mirror story about late Queen’s cousin ‘was obtained illegally’

• Piers Morgan insists he ‘will not take privacy lectures’ from Prince Harry

• Mirror publisher apologises to Harry over private investigator

Piers Morgan says ‘I wouldn’t even know how to hack a phone’

08:08 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Piers Morgan has claimed he did not know about phone-hacking taking place at the Mirror while he was editor of the newspaper.

It comes as allegations of unlawful information-gathering at the Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) was brought by Prince Harry and other celebrities to the High Court this week, with the third day of the trial set to resume today.

Speaking to the BBC before the trial began, Mr Morgan said: “I’ve never hacked a phone. I’ve never told anybody to hack a phone.”

The former editor added that phone hacking is completely wrong and was “lazy journalists being lazy”.

Piers Morgan takes cheeky swipe at Hugh Grant as phone hacking trial continues

11:25 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Former Mirror editor Piers Morgan has been caught up in the high-profile court case against the Mirror Group Newspapers.

A host of celebrities, including Prince Harry and Hugh Grant, have accused the publisher of unlawful information-gathering.

However, Mr Morgan has claimed he was unaware of any phone-hacking taking place while he was editor.

Today, as the third day of the trial resumes at the High Court in London, the ex-editor tweeted a photo of Hugh Grant, in apparent reference to the ongoing trial.

Piers Morgan: I’ve never told anybody to hack a phone

10:29 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Piers Morgan has said he has “never told anybody to hack a phone” amid an ongoing court case over alleged unlawful information gathering at the Daily Mirror.

The Duke of Sussex and other high-profile figures have brought claims of phone hacking against the titles of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) in a seven-week trial which began on Wednesday.

Journalist and broadcaster Morgan, who was editor of the Daily Mirror between 1995 and 2004, told BBC Two’s Amol Rajan Interviews: “I think phone hacking is completely wrong and shouldn’t have been happening and it was lazy journalists being lazy.

He added: “There’s no evidence I knew anything about any of this… I never told anybody to hack a phone.”

Piers Morgan: I’ve never told anybody to hack a phone

Piers Morgan ‘will not take privacy lectures’ from Prince Harry

09:26 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

In case you missed it...

Piers Morgan has said he is “not going to take lectures on privacy invasion” from the Duke of Sussex amid allegations of phone hacking while he was editor of the Daily Mirror newspaper.

Prince Harry is one of a number of high-profile figures bringing claims against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) over alleged unlawful information gathering at its titles in a seven-week trial which began on Wednesday. The tabloid publisher “unreservedly” apologised to the prince for an instance of unlawful information gathering at the start of the hearing.

Piers Morgan ‘will not take privacy lectures’ from Prince Harry

A timeline of Prince Harry’s legal battles – from phone hacking to the Home Office

08:53 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A trial in one of the Duke of Sussex’s legal battles is set to begin at the High Court in London.

Prince Harry is one of a number of high-profile figures bringing damages claims against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) over alleged unlawful information gathering at its titles.

The trial – expected to last up to seven weeks – is due to restart today, with the duke set to appear as a witness in June.

Here we look at the legal cases the duke has been involved in over the last few years:

Phone hacking and Home Office: What legal claims has Prince Harry been involved in?

Voices: Harry vs Piers is the classic tale of the prince vs the troll

08:32 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

You don’t need to have suffered the burdens of fame to know that it might not be a moral outrage to object to illegal and frightening intrusions into your private life – even if you were planning to put it all on Instagram anyway, writes Tom Peck:

It says Various v Mirror Group Newspapers above the door of court 15 of the Rolls Building, but what will go on over the next seven weeks will be going by a catchier moniker: Harry vs Piers. The prince and the troll.

Both men were ghosts at what will be another feast for the lawyers when it began on Wednesday morning down at the High Court. One of them, Prince Harry, will certainly turn up eventually. He’s scheduled to testify three weeks from now; the first time a senior royal has done so in any significant way in modern times.

Morgan may not make it at all. He has no formal reason to, but as Prince Harry’s barrister went through the painful case against Mirror Group Newspapers it was not hard to visualise how its erstwhile editor might be looking had he made it down: just imagine a slightly wobblier-jowled version of the gnashing teeth emoji.

Harry vs Piers is the classic tale of the prince vs the troll | Tom Peck

07:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Good morning. Prince Harry’s hearing against the Mirror publishers is set to continue today at the High Court in London.

Stay tuned for updates.

Thursday 11 May 2023 22:00 , Sam Rkaina

While today’s hearing has concluded, my colleagues will be back with further live updates tomorrow.

To read more of our articles on the trial, you can click here, or else simply keep scrolling to catch up on the day’s events, as we reported them.

More stories in Duke of Sussex claim

Thursday 11 May 2023 21:15 , Sam Rkaina

Other articles at the centre of Harry’s claim include:

– A September 1996 Daily Mirror story with the headline “Diana so sad on Harry’s big day” which the publisher said came from “prior reports” in the public domain.

– A Daily Mirror story from November 2000 about Harry breaking his thumb, which MGN said “came from extensive prior reports in the public domain and had been disclosed to the press by the palace”.

– A Sunday Mirror article entitled “Rugger Off Harry”, published in November 2001 about an injury he had is also in the duke’s claim and is attributed to a “confidential Eton source” and not illegal methods by MGN.

– A March 2002 piece in the Daily Mirror about Harry’s diagnosis with glandular fever, which MGN said it was “likely that information was discreetly released by the palace” in advance of a family trip to Switzerland.

Lawyers for the duke said that unlawful information gathering by MGN journalists was “habitual and widespread” amid a “flood of illegality” and that Harry’s case is “significant not just in terms of the span but also the range of activities”.

David Sherborne, for Harry, said on Wednesday: “We all remember the images of him walking behind his mother’s coffin.

“From that moment on, as a schoolboy and from his career in the army and as a young adult he was subjected, it was clear, to the most intrusive methods of obtaining his personal information.

“Prince or not, the blatantly unlawful and illegal methods used by the defendants … was quite frankly appalling.”

“Harry took drugs” story included in claim

Thursday 11 May 2023 20:37 , Sam Rkaina

Another article in the duke’s claim was published in the Sunday Mirror in January 2002 under the headline “Harry took drugs” which alleged the duke had smoked cannabis.

MGN said the information came from a set of articles published in the now-defunct News Of The World, which were widely followed up.

Mr Green continued: “The palace had confirmed the story to the News Of The World, after the Prince of Wales decided to co-operate with the title.”

The barrister said that quotes from royal sources and family friends “were, it is to be inferred, authorised by the palace … in an effort to manage the story”.

He added: “A senior member of the royal family does not have a reasonable expectation of privacy in taking illegal drugs, particularly when he did so at a public house in combination with illegally drinking alcohol underage.”

MGN denies Harry details were sourced unlawfully

Thursday 11 May 2023 19:54 , Sam Rkaina

The subjects of the articles in the case include Harry’s relationship with his family and ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy, a few injuries and illnesses, his military service and allegations of drug use.

MGN repeatedly denied that details contained in various articles published during Harry’s life was private information belonging to the duke.

It defended some of its reporting by alleging a “public interest” in stories or claimed published information was “trivial” in nature.

In the document put into the case by the publisher’s lawyers, the court heard that one of the articles in Harry’s claim, published in the Sunday Mirror in February 2005, said that the duke had been made to do farm work by Charles – the then-Prince of Wales – after wearing a Nazi uniform at a party.

Andrew Green KC, for MGN, denied the details in the article had been sourced unlawfully or through phone hacking.

He said: “The information complained of came from prior reports in the public domain. The other information in the article came from a confidential source.”

Harry “did not have an expectation of privacy” over Nazi punishment story

Thursday 11 May 2023 19:09 , Sam Rkaina

The Duke of Sussex did not have an “expectation of privacy” over a report he was allegedly punished by the King for dressing up as a Nazi, The Mirror’s publisher has told the High Court.

Several high-profile figures are bringing claims against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) over alleged unlawful information gathering at its titles The Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People.

Claims brought by four individuals, including the duke, are being heard in a seven-week trial as “representative” cases of the types of allegations facing the publisher – including voicemail interception, securing information through deception and hiring private investigators for unlawful activities.

The High Court in London previously heard the duke’s case is that 148 articles published between 1996 and 2010 by MGN titles included information that was allegedly obtained through unlawful means, including phone hacking.

Mr Justice Fancourt previously ruled that 33 of the articles should be considered at the trial.

On the second day of the case on Thursday, details of each of the 33 articles and MGN’s response to them were made public.

A timeline of Prince Harry’s legal battles

Thursday 11 May 2023 18:34 , Andy Gregory

The legal battle with Mirror Group Newspapers is just one of several in which the Duke of Sussex has been involved in recent years.

In the below article, Jess Glass provides a timeline of the actions brought against the Splash News and Picture Agency, the Home Office, and the publishers of the Daily Mail, Sun and Daily Mirror:

Phone hacking and Home Office: What legal claims has Prince Harry been involved in?

Watch: Piers Morgan says he refuses to take ‘lectures on privacy’ from Prince Harry

Thursday 11 May 2023 17:52 , Andy Gregory

Voices | Prince Harry is not going to settle

Thursday 11 May 2023 17:20 , Andy Gregory

Giving his take from the High Court yesterday, our columnist Tom Peck wrote:

Sherborne’s opening speech could easily have been a casting meeting for I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! circa 2003.

What was happening at the tabloids back then is not seriously contested. Private investigators used the well-known and regularly unchanged default PINs of the big mobile phone companies to secretly listen to the voicemails of celebrities to get stories about them. It was so laughably easy it barely felt like a crime, but sadly it was. And it had terrible consequences.

Almost all of its victims have settled out of court, taken the money, and most of it from News International. But not all of them. Some have taken it all the way to court, in which the actual human consequences of what must have seemed like a bit of fun at the time were made clear. Paul Gascoigne, for example, has spoken of the deeply troubling impact of, say, arranging to go to a restaurant with a close family member, and then turning up to find photographers hanging around outside. The only way they can possibly have known, he thought, is through deliberate betrayal. It is not long before you stop trusting everyone, which is simply no way to live.

But Harry is not going to settle. He is not interested in any kind of out-of-court payment. He is going to go on to the end, in a fight that he believes, with some justification, is a kind of vengeance for his mother’s death.

Harry vs Piers is the classic tale of the prince vs the troll | Tom Peck

Meghan Markle is ‘cuckoo’ in royal nest and her ‘woke hang-ups’ will destroy marriage, claims Labour grandee

Thursday 11 May 2023 16:47 , Andy Gregory

Away from the trial brought by Prince Harry, former Labour minister Chris Mullin has claimed that his wife Meghan Markle is a “cuckoo” in the royal nest and her “woke Californian hang-ups” are likely to destroy their marriage.

The claims are contained in Mullin’s latest memoir, Didn’t You Use To Be Chris Mullin?, which is being serialised exclusively in The Independent:

‘Prince Andrew’s official trade missions were like rugby club tours’

‘Barely any evidence’ for ‘extraordinarily wide claims’, Mirror publisher’s lawyer says

Thursday 11 May 2023 16:15 , Andy Gregory

The four claimants in the trial have made “extraordinarily wide claims” about phone hacking and unlawful information gathering, Mirror Group Newspapers’ lawyer Andrew Green KC told the court.

“The claimants now seek to make sweeping allegations of unlawful information gathering against a vast number of third party suppliers, private investigators or otherwise,” Mr Green said.

“Despite the obvious seriousness of these allegations, and the range of third parties against whom they are made, the claimants have served barely any evidence to support them, or the other claims of unlawful information gathering made against third party suppliers.”

The barrister added: “In the vast majority of cases, the allegations are denied and no evidence supporting them has been served.”

At the start of the case, an MGN spokesperson said: “Where historical wrongdoing has taken place we have made admissions, take full responsibility and apologise unreservedly, but we will vigorously defend against allegations of wrongdoing where our journalists acted lawfully.”

MGN board ‘has vested interest’ in alleged activities not being publicised, court told

Thursday 11 May 2023 15:17 , Andy Gregory

The board of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) had a “vested interest” in the “growing” knowledge of alleged unlawful information-gathering not becoming public, the High Court has been told.

Laywer David Sherborne claimed such practices were authorised “at the highest levels” of the company, alleging that “the knowledge of the board grew as the narrative progressed” amid the “growing body of knowledge about the widespread activity”.

Mr Sherborne said it had to be borne in mind “the ramifications” for shareholders if this came out, adding: “They have a very clear vested interest in this not becoming public and no-one being able to bring a claim.”

Lawyers for the publisher say they have provided evidence from board members denying awareness of unlawful information-gathering activities.

Andrew Green KC, for MGN, said in written submissions the duke and others had made “serious allegations” of dishonesty with legal arguments that “are far from adequate”, adding: “The claimants have not provided any direct evidence of a member of the board or legal department making a false or dishonest statement.”

Piers Morgan ‘lies at the heart’ of claims against Mirror publisher, court told

Thursday 11 May 2023 14:46 , Andy Gregory

Piers Morgan “lies at the heart” of claims against its publisher over alleged unlawful information-gathering, the High Court has been told.

In the second day of the trial, David Sherborne, representing the Duke of Sussex and other individuals bringing legal challenges against Mirror Group Newspapers, began detailing instances of such alleged activity.

“What we have, we say, is the direct involvement of Mr Morgan in a number of these incidents,” the lawyer said.

“Mr Morgan lies right at the heart of this in a number of ways. He was a very hands-on editor, also very closely connected to the board.”

Mr Morgan, who was the Mirror’s editor between 1995 and 2004, has previously denied involvement in phone hacking. He told the BBC this week: “I think phone hacking is completely wrong and shouldn’t have been happening, and it was lazy journalists being lazy.”

Story about late Queen’s cousin was ‘obtained illegally’, court told

Thursday 11 May 2023 14:13 , Andy Gregory

A front-page Daily Mirror article in 1999 which claimed Prince Michael of Kent was in £2.5m debt to a bank was “obtained illegally”, the High Court has been told.

“At the time of the Prince Michael of Kent story, [the paper] was edited by Piers Morgan,” said lawyer David Sherborne, adding that he was “a very hands-on editor” with “a close connection to the board” at Mirror Group Newspapers.

“The story had been published with sufficient confidence in the face of a denial from Prince Michael himself,” Mr Sherborne said, alleging that it had been “obtained illegally” using private investigators.

He continued that when Prince Michael raised a legal complaint against MGN, Mr Morgan said the allegation came from “an impeccable source who has an intimate knowledge” of the royal’s finances.

Mr Sherborne said: “Mr Morgan, and the MGN lawyers he consulted before writing this letter, knew full well that the information had been obtained unlawfully and that the criminal law had in fact been breached, and the ‘impeccable source’ they referred to was in fact (private investigator Jonathan) Rees.”

MGN later settled Prince Michael’s claim, agreeing to publish an apology and pay his legal costs, Mr Sherborne said. Mr Morgan has previously denied involvement in phone hacking.

'Inconceivable' that Piers Morgan did not know about alleged activities

Thursday 11 May 2023 13:45 , Andy Gregory

In the second day of the trial, barrister David Sherborne alleged that it is “inconceivable” that Piers Morgan and several other editors at Mirror Group Newspapers were unaware of certain activities alleged by the claimants.

“Even people you would expect to be ensuring honesty ... [were] themselves so bound up in this wrongdoing,” he told the High Court. “It’s no wonder it was so widespread ... it is no wonder it was so successfully covered up by the PLC.”

“We say the case goes higher than just the journalists,” Mr Sherborne added. “The condoning of these activities meant these journalists were able to continue them at this widespread level ... At all levels, the defendant’s organisation was concealing unlawful activity because it was well aware of how damaging it was.

In written submissions, Mr Sherborne continued: “It is inconceivable that this information, which was readily available on MGN’s system, was not known by the editors, Piers Morgan, Tina Weaver and Mark Thomas, the managing editors, and the legal department ... and the board.

“Despite that, neither the legal department nor the board took any action to prevent the continued use of such techniques by MGN journalists.”

‘False insinuations’ by publisher led to physical abuse in street, claims ex-Coronation Street actor

Thursday 11 May 2023 13:19 , Andy Gregory

One of the four claimants, former Coronation Street actor Nikki Sanderson says she experienced abuse in the street following “false insinuations” in articles published by Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), the High Court was told yesterday.

In court documents, her lawyers claim she experienced “unusual telephone and media-related activity” which was consistent with the “unauthorised accessing of her voicemails and other unlawful information gathering”, with private information appearing in newspapers with “no legitimate explanation” as to how.

Mr Sherborne, the actress’s barrister, said she said it was “‘scary’ feeling like she was always being watched, and ‘upsetting’ that MGN’s conduct caused the lines between her public and private life to blur, making her believe that she was ‘public property’.”

“The impact of the stories on Nikki Sanderson was aggravated by their false insinuations that she was promiscuous, causing her great upset and giving rise to her being subjected to mental and physical abuse, having people shout at her in the street calling her a ‘wh***’, ‘sl**’ or ‘sl**’ and even being physically assaulted on numerous occasions,” Mr Sherborne said.

“It gave rise to her feeling in a constant state of paranoia, distrusting everyone around her.”

In its trial defence, the publisher says Ms Sanderson’s claim is brought too late, but “unreservedly apologises” over four payments made to private investigators which it admits are evidence of instructions to unlawfully obtain her private information.

The publisher also claims that evidence does not suggest Ms Sanderson’s phone was successfully hacked.

ICYMI: What happened on the first day of the trial?

Thursday 11 May 2023 12:36 , Andy Gregory

For those just joining us on the blog, here is a quick recap of yesterday’s opening to the trial:

Barrister David Sherborne, acting on behalf of Prince Harry and three other celebrities, said that the case featured unlawful activities on an “industrial scale carried out across three newspapers over a period of about 20 years or so”.

He added: “It was a flood of illegality. But worse still, this flood was being authorised and approved of by senior executives.”

The court was also told that Coronation Street actor Michael Turner, who plays Kevin Webster in the soap, was accused by fellow cast members of being a tabloid “mole” amid alleged phone hacking by journalists.

And the Duke of Sussex is said to have feared for the safety of his former partner Chelsy Davy as a result of press intrusion, which he blamed for the breakdown of their relationship.

Unlawful information gathering was ‘authorised at highest levels’ of publisher, lawyer claims

Thursday 11 May 2023 11:19 , Andy Gregory

As the second day of the trial gets under way, the High Court has been told that unlawful information-gathering activities were authorised “at the highest levels” within Mirror Group Newspapers.

David Sherborne, barrister for Prince Harry and others bringing claims against the publisher, said one of the “most seriously troubling features” of their cases was the allegation that those responsible for management and finances of the company “were well aware of what was going on”.

In written arguments, Mr Sherborne claimed “the systemic and widespread use of PIs by MGN journalists to unlawfully obtain private information was authorised at senior levels”, including desk heads, editors, managing editors and senior executives.

Prince Harry’s lawyer arrives at High Court

Thursday 11 May 2023 10:53 , Andy Gregory

Lawyer David Sherborne, who is representing those accusing the Mirror publisher of unlawful information gathering, has been pictured arriving at the High Court this morning.

Which celebrities does the trial concern?

Thursday 11 May 2023 10:47 , Andy Gregory

While the judge has selected four “test cases” to go to trial in order to set the potential threshold for damages the publisher will pay if it loses, there are a number of other celebrities with possible stakes in the outcome.

Alongside Prince Harry, the other people selected for trial are former Coronation Street actors Nikki Sanderson and Michael Turner, and comedian Paul Whitehouse’s ex-wife Fiona Wightman.

If they are succcessful, the court will then consider cases from former Girls Aloud member Cheryl, the estate of the late singer George Michael, ex-footballer and presenter Ian Wright and actor Ricky Tomlinson.

Lawyer’s opening speech ‘could have been casting meeting for I’m A Celebrity'

Thursday 11 May 2023 10:19 , Andy Gregory

Our sketch writer Tom Peck has more on yesterday’s opening day, and the celebrities involved in the trial:

At day one of his case against the Daily Mail, Prince Harry made a surprise appearance in court with Elton John – but not today.

No stubbled ginger jawline, no glowering eyes poked out from the back row of benches. There was precious little to distract attention from the clipped vowels of lawyer David Sherborne as he set off, yet again, for a rapid gallop around the dysfunctional tabloid world of the late Nineties and early 2000s, all of which has been extensively covered before.

Actually, that’s not quite true. The rest of team “various” was out in force. Michael Turner, better known as Michael Le Vell, better known as Kevin Webster, the mechanic from Coronation Street sat dutifully behind Mr Sherborne. So did Nikki Sanderson, also of Corrie fame, and Ingrid Tarrant, of Chris Tarrant’s ex-wife fame.

Sherborne’s opening speech could easily have been a casting meeting for I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! circa 2003. For most of the day, hardly a sentence was uttered that did not feature some vaguely famous person or other. Mark Bosnich got a mention several times, as did Sarah Harding.

A timeline of Prince Harry’s legal battles

Thursday 11 May 2023 10:05 , Andy Gregory

The legal battle with Mirror Group Newspapers is just one of several in which the Duke of Sussex has been involved in recent years.

In the below article, Jess Glass provides a timeline of the actions brought against the Splash News and Picture Agency, the Home Office, and the publishers of the Daily Mail, Sun and Daily Mirror:

Phone hacking and Home Office: What legal claims has Prince Harry been involved in?

Prince Harry blames Mirror group for Chelsy Davy breakup

Thursday 11 May 2023 09:51 , Andy Gregory

Prince Harry has blamed the allegedly unlawful information gathering activities carried out at the Mirror group for his break-up with Chelsy Davy, the High Court heard yesterday.

Harry’s solicitor David Sherbone told the court that illicit press intrusion caused “great challenges” in his relationship with Davy, who he dated on-and-off from 2004 until 2009, before she ultimately decided that “a royal life was not for her” as a result of this alleged harassment.

In court documents, Sherbone told the high court Harry “became immediately suspicious of anyone named in stories about him” and felt he couldn’t trust anybody.

“It also caused great challenges in his relationship with his ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy and made him fear for his and her safety,” the solicitor added.

My colleague Maanya Sachdeva has the full report:

Prince Harry blames Mirror group for Chelsy Davy breakup

Opinion | Harry vs Piers is the classic tale of the prince vs the troll

Thursday 11 May 2023 09:34 , Andy Gregory

Our sketch writer Tom Peck has given his initial take on the trial from the benches of the High Court:

It says Various v Mirror Group Newspapers above the door of court 15 of the Rolls Building, but what will go on over the next seven weeks will be going by a catchier moniker: Harry vs Piers. The prince and the troll.

Both men were ghosts at what will be another feast for the lawyers when it began on Wednesday morning down at the High Court. One of them, Prince Harry, will certainly turn up eventually. He’s scheduled to testify three weeks from now; the first time a senior royal has done so in any significant way in modern times.

Morgan may not make it at all. He has no formal reason to, but as Prince Harry’s barrister went through the painful case against Mirror Group Newspapers it was not hard to visualise how its erstwhile editor might be looking had he made it down: just imagine a slightly wobblier-jowled version of the gnashing teeth emoji.

Harry vs Piers is the classic tale of the prince vs the troll | Tom Peck

Coronation Street actor says colleagues believed he was tabloid ‘mole’

Thursday 11 May 2023 09:20 , Andy Gregory

Coronation Street star Michael Turner was accused by fellow cast members of being “a mole” amid alleged phone hacking by journalists, the High Court was told.

Lawyers for the actor, who has appeared in the role of Kevin Webster since 1983, said that between 1991 and 2011 he was of “considerable interest” to MGN due to his career and his 2011 arrest for suspected rape, for which he was later found not guilty.

Mr Turner was also an actors’ informal “union rep”, which meant he was “privy to private information about his Coronation Street co-stars”, his legal team said in a court document.

The actor claims it is “likely” voicemail messages he left on an associate’s phone were “unlawfully accessed and listened to by MGN journalists”.

His barrister, David Sherborne, said Mr Turner had set out the “enormous” and “long-lasting” impact of these alleged activities “explaining that Coronation Street cast members accused him of being a mole due to his position as union rep, which he was ‘absolutely devastated’ by”.

“He also became extremely paranoid and blamed people close to him for stories which were public, even abandoning his local pub as a result,” the lawyer said. “He is ‘shocked and horrified’ by MGN’s targeting of him for over 15 years.” Tom Pilgrim has the full report:

Actor accused of being ‘mole’ by Coronation Street cast, hacking trial told

Mirror publisher apologises ‘unreservedly’ to Prince Harry over private investigator

Thursday 11 May 2023 09:14 , Andy Gregory

The publisher of the Daily Mirror apologised “unreservedly” to Prince Harry for an instance of unlawful information-gathering, at the start of the trial into alleged phone-hacking at its titles, my colleague Joe Middleton reports.

In a written submission, it was alleged that Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) had spent millions on private investigators to keep track of celebrities, and that the company had targeted Harry’s parents, the then Prince and Princess of Wales.

MGN said in a written submission that it “unreservedly apologises” to the duke for one instance of unlawful information-gathering and accepted that he was entitled to “appropriate compensation”.

Andrew Green KC, representing MGN, said a private investigator was instructed by an MGN journalist at the Sunday People to unlawfully gather information about the prince’s activities at the Chinawhite nightclub in February 2004.

Aside from this instance, MGN is contesting the claims, saying that voicemail interception was denied in the trial cases, including Harry’s, and arguing that some of the claims have been brought too late.

Mirror publisher apologises to Prince Harry at the start of phone-hacking trial

Piers Morgan hits back at Prince Harry over privacy allegations

Thursday 11 May 2023 09:11 , Andy Gregory

Piers Morgan said he was “not going to take lectures on privacy invasion” from Prince Harry, as he was intercepted by ITV journalists on the first day of the trial brought against his former employer over alleged unlawful information gathering.

Asked whether he would take the publisher’s lead in apologising to the Duke of Sussex, Morgan – who edited The Mirror between 1995 and 2004 – said: “All I am going to say is I am not going to take lectures on privacy invasion from Prince Harry, somebody who has spent the last three years ruthlessly and cynically invading the royal family’s privacy for vast commercial gain and told a pack of lies about them.

“So I suggest he gets out of court and apologises to his family for the disgraceful invasion of privacy that he’s been purporting.”

Piers Morgan says he has ‘never told anybody to hack a phone'

Thursday 11 May 2023 09:01 , Andy Gregory

Piers Morgan insisted he has “never told anybody to hack a phone” as he described the unlawful practice “completely wrong”.

The broadcaster, who was editor of the Daily Mirror between 1995 and 2004, told BBC Two’s Amol Rajan Interviews: “I think phone hacking is completely wrong and shouldn’t have been happening and it was lazy journalists being lazy.”

He added: “There’s no evidence I knew anything about any of this… I never told anybody to hack a phone.”

Asked about being seen as a hands-on editor, Morgan said: “I didn’t [know about hacking]. So I don’t care whether it stretches people’s credulity or not.”

Piers Morgan: I’ve never told anybody to hack a phone

What happened on the first day of the trial?

Thursday 11 May 2023 08:56 , Andy Gregory

Unlawful information gathering by journalists employed by the Daily Mirror‘s publisher was “habitual and widespread” amid a “flood of illegality”, the High Court heard on the first day of the privacy trial.

As well as Prince Harry, Coronation Street actors Nikki Sanderson and Michael Turner, known professionally as Michael Le Vell, and comedian Paul Whitehouse’s ex-wife Fiona Wightman are expected to give evidence during the seven-week trial.

Claims brought by four individuals are being heard in a trial as “representative” cases of the types of allegations facing the publisher – including voicemail interception, securing information through deception and hiring private investigators for unlawful activities.

MGN – publisher of titles including The Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People – is contesting the cases and has said there is “no evidence, or no sufficient evidence, of voicemail interception in any of these four claims”.

At the start of the trial on Wednesday, barrister David Sherborne, for the four people in the trial, said that the case featured unlawful activities on an “industrial scale carried out across three newspapers over a period of about 20 years or so”.

Mr Sherborne told a hearing in London: “It was a flood of illegality. But worse still, this flood was being authorised and approved of by senior executives.”

Thursday 11 May 2023 08:50 , Andy Gregory

Good morning and thanks for joining us on the blog, where we’ll be publishing live updates on the second day of the privacy trial brought by Prince Harry and a host of others against Mirror Group Newspapers.