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| Steve Coogan wins phone-hacking damages from Mirror Group | Steve Coogan wins phone-hacking damages from Mirror Group |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Steve Coogan and Sienna Miller have received hundreds of thousands of pounds in damages from the publisher of the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People after it admitted hacking their phones and covering up unlawful activities. | |
| The settlements for Coogan and Miller were confirmed at the high court in London on Tuesday, as were the settlements for the TV presenter Jamie Theakston, former Eastenders actor Michael Greco, and Michelle Mellor, the wife of actor Will Mellor. | |
| Coogan appeared at the high court for his settlement to be confirmed in front of Mr Justice Mann. The amount of damages was not revealed in court and is confidential, but Coogan confirmed afterwards it was a six-figure sum and the scale of it “will make Mirror executives blush”. It is thought to be one of the biggest ever payments related to phone hacking. | |
| Speaking outside court, the actor and comedian said the outcome was vindication for him and that most of the payment would go to good causes. | |
| Coogan described the behaviour of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) as a disgrace and an “insult to the memory of Hugh Cudlipp [the former editor of the Daily Mirror]”. He also called for the second part of the Leveson inquiry into the British press to take place so that the allegations of hacking at MGN could be properly scrutinised. | |
| “It is my view that editors and executives, such as Sly Bailey, Piers Morgan, Paul Vickers, Tina Weaver and Richard Wallace, have not yet been subjected to proper scrutiny, taking into account what has emerged since the first half of the inquiry,” he said. “The second part of the Leveson inquiry must find out who hacked, who knew about it, and who covered it up or turned a blind eye. The Leveson inquiry must be completed now as the government has promised.” | “It is my view that editors and executives, such as Sly Bailey, Piers Morgan, Paul Vickers, Tina Weaver and Richard Wallace, have not yet been subjected to proper scrutiny, taking into account what has emerged since the first half of the inquiry,” he said. “The second part of the Leveson inquiry must find out who hacked, who knew about it, and who covered it up or turned a blind eye. The Leveson inquiry must be completed now as the government has promised.” |
| Morgan, Weaver and Wallace edited MGN titles during the periods covered by the allegations, while Bailey was chief executive of MGN’s parent company, Trinity Mirror, and Vickers was the legal director. They have all denied being involved in phone hacking or having knowledge of it. | Morgan, Weaver and Wallace edited MGN titles during the periods covered by the allegations, while Bailey was chief executive of MGN’s parent company, Trinity Mirror, and Vickers was the legal director. They have all denied being involved in phone hacking or having knowledge of it. |
| Lawyers representing MGN said in court that it “acknowledges that Mr Coogan was the target of unlawful activities and that these activities were concealed until years later”. They added: “It apologises to Mr Coogan for its wrongdoing over a decade ago and for any articles that were the product of unlawful activity and for the concealment of these activities. MGN apologises to Mr Coogan and accepts that he and other victims should not have been denied the truth for so long.” | Lawyers representing MGN said in court that it “acknowledges that Mr Coogan was the target of unlawful activities and that these activities were concealed until years later”. They added: “It apologises to Mr Coogan for its wrongdoing over a decade ago and for any articles that were the product of unlawful activity and for the concealment of these activities. MGN apologises to Mr Coogan and accepts that he and other victims should not have been denied the truth for so long.” |
| David Sherborne, who was representing Coogan, said the comedian had identified 62 articles in the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and the People that he alleges came from hacking his voicemail, unlawfully obtaining personal information from third parties, or surveillance by private investigators. | |
| These articles caused “enormous distress and significant damage to Mr Coogan’s relationships with those he wrongly suspected had leaked the private information or who believed he was the cause of their private information being made public”, Sherborne said. | These articles caused “enormous distress and significant damage to Mr Coogan’s relationships with those he wrongly suspected had leaked the private information or who believed he was the cause of their private information being made public”, Sherborne said. |
| The barrister added: “Mr Coogan is clear that if Trinity Mirror had conducted a proper investigation at an early stage then the unlawful activity could have been stopped, and prevented the enormous distress and damage it caused its victims, their family and friends.” | The barrister added: “Mr Coogan is clear that if Trinity Mirror had conducted a proper investigation at an early stage then the unlawful activity could have been stopped, and prevented the enormous distress and damage it caused its victims, their family and friends.” |
| Trinity Mirror has put aside more than £50m to cover the costs of the hacking scandal, including compensation payouts and legal fees. | Trinity Mirror has put aside more than £50m to cover the costs of the hacking scandal, including compensation payouts and legal fees. |
| It has already settled dozens of cases, including a batch of 44 in April that included former England football manager Kevin Keegan, the writer Jeffrey Archer, the actor Patsy Kensit and the former home secretary Charles Clarke. | |
| Sadie Frost, the actor and fashion designer, received a record payment from MGN of £260,250 in 2015. However, this settlement is understood to have been surpassed since then by payouts that have not been made public. | |
| This includes the settlement for Elizabeth Hurley, which was confirmed in May. Hurley alleged that MGN published 58 separate articles between July 1998 and March 2007 that include information that had been obtained unlawfully. | |
| Miller was targeted “extensively” by MGN journalists from at least 2003 onwards and received “substantial damages”, according to her lawyer. |