#NewsBytesExplainer: What is Prince Harry versus Mirror Group Newspapers trial
Prince Harry is set to appear in High Court and provide evidence against the Mirror Group Newspapers in a long-standing phone hacking case. Harry is one of the several celebrity complainants who have alleged that the Mirror group used "illegal" means to garner information and produce news stories. The Duke of Sussex will provide evidence in June during the course of the seven-week-long trial.
How did the entire legal tussle begin?
The complainants have alleged that "journalists from the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror, and The People newspapers obtained private and confidential information about their lives through a variety of illegal means." This was reportedly done through phone hacking. The journalists "accessed the voicemail of the targets" and "listened to the messages left by their family and friends," which helped in extracting information.
Journalists followed people's movements, used private investigators to obtain information
In addition to that, the aforementioned journalists reportedly also "used private investigators to trick others into handing over confidential information about the targets - everything from financial details to medical information." Per Prince Harry, "Reporters and photographers used a variety of techniques to follow the movements of Chelsy Davy (his ex-girlfriend)." "Wrongdoing for cynical commercial reasons" is how the claimants have described the situation.
There are multiple victims involved in the case
Prince Harry is not the only victim of this structured hacking network. The trial will also look into the cases of Coronation Street actors Michael Le Vell and Nikki Sanderson, and Fiona Wightman, the ex-wife of comedian Paul Whitehouse. Other celebrities include the singer Cheryl, the estate of late singer George Michael, actor Ricky Tomlinson, and former footballer Ian Wright.
A mammoth 140 articles were written about Prince Harry
Two hundred and seven news articles (1991- 2011) will be considered. Of these, 140 were about Prince Harry (1996-2010). Per the victims, MGN's senior executives, including Piers Morgan, ex-editor of The Daily Mirror, were aware of the proceedings but didn't punctuate them. Now, Harry's lawyers "want the court to consider a series of incidents which [reportedly prove] that Morgan knew and told others too."
What does MGN have to say in its defense?
In 2015, MGN acknowledged that "journalists had regularly used unlawful techniques and paid investigators to obtain private information" and asserted that "the unlawful activity was deliberately concealed by the journalists." Ahead of the trial, MGN has "unreservedly apologized" to Prince Harry for "one instance of unlawful information gathering against him." However, it has denied allegations of voicemail interception across all aforementioned cases.
