Telephone tapping, manipulation, deception: several celebrities accuse the publisher of the British "Daily Mail" of "disgusting criminal activities" in obtaining private information. The list of offenses ends up in court.
Britain's Prince Harry, pop star Elton John and other celebrities have sued a newspaper publisher for illegal invasion of privacy. According to a report by the British news agency PA, they accuse the publisher of the "Daily Mail" of having hired private investigators to hide listening devices in cars and apartments and to illegally record private telephone conversations.
The lawsuit against publisher Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) alleges "overwhelming and deeply disturbing evidence" that the plaintiffs were victims of "heinous criminal activity and gross violations of privacy." In addition to Prince Harry and Elton John, the plaintiffs include actresses Liz Hurley and Sadie Frost, Elton John's husband David Furnish and the mother of black teenager Stephen Lawrence, who was murdered in a 1993 racist attack.
The plaintiffs also allege that ANL paid bribes to police officers to obtain confidential information, according to the letter released by the Hamlins law firm, which acts for the group. In addition, medical data was obtained "through deception" and bank statements were obtained "by illegal means and manipulation".
"So now they have come together to uncover the truth and hold accountable the journalists responsible, many of whom still hold positions of high authority and power today," Hamlins said in his statement. ANL, publisher of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday and Mail Online newspapers and one of the most widely read news websites in the world, dismissed the allegations as "unsubstantiated allegations".
