Prince Harry wins 15 of 33 claims against Mirror Group Newspapers

ok.co.uk:

The Duke of Sussex has won 15 of 33 claims after bringing a High Court phone hacking claim against Mirror Group Newspapers. Mr Justice Fancourt ruled on Friday that Prince Harry's phone was probably hacked “to a modest extent” by the tabloid newspaper publisher, and that there was “extensive” phone hacking by Mirror Group Newspapers from 2006 to 2011, “even to some extent” during the Leveson Inquiry into media standards Prince Harry, 39, had sued MGN for damages over claims that journalists at the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People had been involved in phone hacking, "blagging" which is gaining information by deception, and using private investigators for unlawful activities.

Prince Harry was awarded damages of £140,600 - just under a third of the £443,000 he had asked for. Following the ruling, an MGN spokesperson said: “We welcome today’s judgment that gives the business the necessary clarity to move forward from events that took place many years ago.

Where historical wrongdoing took place, we apologise unreservedly, have taken full responsibility and paid appropriate compensation.” During the seven-week trial, which ended in June, the duke was questioned for eight hours over two days in the witness box.

He was not the only high-profile person whose claims against MGN were heard – there were also allegations from actors Nikki Sanderson and Michael Turner (known professionally as Michael Le Vell and famous for playing Kevin Webster in Coronation Street ) and comedian Paul Whitehouse’s ex-wife, Fiona Wightman.The claims spanned a 20-year period, dating back to 1991 and covering up to at least 2011, although MGN had contested the majority of allegations, denying that any of the newspaper articles complained.