UK Publisher Denies Unlawful Information Gathering Claims

The high court has heard that the amount of lost or destroyed documents relating to the Daily Mail publisher's use of private investigators is 'stark in the extreme'.

The claimants, which include Prince Harry, Elton John, and Doreen Lawrence, are suing the publisher for allegedly using unlawful techniques to gather information.

David Sherborne, the leading barrister for the claimants, said that if the court had all the information, 'the exercise would be a lot simpler'.

The publisher, Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL), has denied all the claims and said it had offered a 'demonstrably conscientious and generous approach to disclosure'.

The court has heard that one box containing records of payments to private investigators was only found by chance by a legal worker last year.

ANL has handed over more than 2,700 documents, but the claimants' lawyers say this is a small number compared to the thousands of invoices that are believed to have been destroyed or not located.

The case is ongoing, with both sides continuing to argue over the role of private investigator Gavin Burrows, who made alleged confessions of unlawful activity for ANL in 2021.

The claimants' lawyers are focusing on four journalists who worked for the Daily Mail, including Katie Nicholl, Rebecca English, Stephen Wright, and Nicole Lampert.