London (CNN) British tabloid publisher The Daily Mirror He has apologized to Prince Harry for using illegal methods to collect information about him Private life.
in Court documents Published Wednesday on the first day of the phone-hacking trial, the Mirror newspaper group, now owned by Rich, said it “unreservedly apologizes and accepts that [Harry] He is entitled to adequate compensation” for one instance of illegal information gathering nearly 20 years ago.
The incident involved a private investigator, who was paid £75 ($95) in 2004 by the Sunday People, a newspaper owned by the same group, for gathering information about the Duke of Sussex while he was in a nightclub in London.
“[Mirror Group Newspapers] He doesn’t know what the information is about this, although it clearly had some connection to his behavior at the nightclub,” the publisher said, acknowledging that the payment “represents an instruction to participate in [unlawful information gathering]. “
The Duke of Sussex and three other claimants representing dozens of celebrities have sued the Mirror Group newspaper, accusing its headlines of obtaining private information by phone hacking and through other illicit means, including private investigators, between 1991 and 2011.
The Mirror Group newspaper contests most of the allegations, arguing in its court filings that some of the claims were made too late and that in all four cases there was insufficient evidence that the phone was hacked.
The case against the newspaper’s publisher is one of several that Harry and his wife Meghan have brought in their long-running litigation. Battle with British newspaperswhich they accused of violating privacy and spreading false stories.
The two have filed at least seven lawsuits against British and US media organizations since 2019, including the Rupert Murdoch case. Newsgroup newspapersAccording to Reuters. The Sun is published by News Group Newspapers and used to produce News of the World, which was closed in 2011 at its own expense. Phone hacking scandal.
On Wednesday, Harry’s solicitor, David Sherborne, said his suit against the Mirror Group newspaper, which covers events from 1995 to 2011, is “significant not only in terms of the time period but in the range of activity it covers”.
Sherborne said Harry was subjected to the most “intrusive methods of obtaining personal information”, stating that “no one should be subjected to this”. “Illegal methods” were “usual and widespread” among Sherborne added that journalists and editors.
The Duke of Sussex was not present on the first day of the hearing at London’s High Court, which comes just days after he attended. attended it Coronation of his father, King Charles III, near Westminster Abbey. he British media reported that he is due to testify in person in June.
The trial, which is expected to last seven weeks, will review allegations made along similar lines by English actress Nikki Sanderson, ex-wife of comedian Paul Whitehouse Fiona Whiteman and actor Michael Turner.
A spokesperson for the Mirror Group newspapers said in a statement on Wednesday that “where historic wrongdoing occurred,” the group took “full responsibility” and apologized “unreservedly” for its actions.
The Mirror Group newspaper “is now part of a very different company. We are committed to operating with integrity and our aim in this experiment is to allow both our business people and our journalists to move forward from events that occurred many years ago,” the statement added.
Opening arguments in the case are expected to extend into Friday.
“Infuriatingly humble web fan. Writer. Alcohol geek. Passionate explorer. Evil problem solver. Incurable zombie expert.”
