In a significant ruling at London’s High Court, a judge has found that Piers Morgan, a high-profile British broadcaster and former editor of the Daily Mirror, was aware of phone hacking at the newspaper. This revelation came to light in a lawsuit brought by Prince Harry and others against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN).
The judgment stated that Harry had been a victim of phone hacking and other unlawful behavior by journalists at MGN, and editors were aware of these activities. Omid Scobie, co-author of “Finding Freedom,” provided evidence that Morgan was “reassured” over a 2002 story about Kylie Minogue and James Gooding, indicating voicemail interception as the source.
Piers Morgan Responds and Denies Involvement
In response to the ruling, Piers Morgan, now working for News Corp’s Talk TV, vehemently denied any involvement in or knowledge of phone hacking. He stated that he had never hacked a phone and criticized the lack of evidence produced against him during the case.
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Morgan emphasized that he wasn’t called as a witness and wasn’t asked to provide a statement, expressing willingness to do so if requested. He also criticized Mirror’s lawyers for not challenging the claims against him, adding that the judgment found only one article related to Prince Harry involved phone hacking during his editorship.
The judge, Timothy Fancourt, accepted the evidence of various witnesses who claimed that Morgan was aware of phone hacking practices at MGN. This included testimony from David Seymour, the former group political editor of the Daily Mirror, who stated that Morgan played a voicemail of Paul McCartney singing a song by the Beatles in the newsroom in 2001.
Prince Harry’s Call for Investigation
Following the ruling, Prince Harry called on regulators and the police to investigate potential criminal offenses. The judgment highlighted widespread unlawful information gathering at MGN, indicating that key figures, including Sly Bailey and Paul Vickers, were aware of these practices.
In the midst of legal battles, Piers Morgan launched a personal attack on Prince Harry, accusing him of having a “ruthless, greedy, and hypocritical enthusiasm” for self-promotion and aiming to destroy the British monarchy.