London (EFE) the “eavesdropping” that Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) resorted to.
The youngest son of King Carlos III did not appear before the Supreme Court this morning, and Justice Timothy Fancourt asked him to attend the afternoon session, despite the fact that, at first, he intended to testify tomorrow.
Enrique sued MGN alleging that journalists from its flagships – which include the Sunday Mirror and Sunday People – engaged in questionable methods of obtaining information.
These practices include intercepting private phones (or “hacking”) or using private investigators to carry out illegal activities.
illegal ways
The Duke’s case has been brought forward alongside three other indictments deemed “representative” of UK celebrities, as part of a legal process that began last month and will last about seven weeks.
According to the youngest son of King Carlos III and Lady Dee, about 140 articles published between 1996 and 2010 contained information collected using illegal methods, and 33 of them will be taken into account during this trial.
For its part, MGN denies or does not acknowledge this practice and also argues that some plaintiffs have taken their own cases to court too late.
Right to compensation
During Sherborne’s presentation, the barrister today recalled how the Sunday People took a double page containing a private discussion between the Duke and his older brother William, while the Daily Mirror ran the headline: ‘Henry’s girlfriend is leaving’.
The lawyer criticized the group for publishing “every aspect of his life, including the ups and downs of his first serious relationship with Chelsy Davy, which were broadcast throughout the paper as an exclusive”.
The media group’s defense said they had “unreservedly apologised” and that the prince deserved “adequate compensation”.
According to MGN’s lawyer Andrew Green, the group once admitted that a reporter from The People had ordered a private investigator to illegally obtain information about Enrique’s activities during a London nightclub outing in February 2004.
Green considered that “Otherwise, the specific allegations are dismissed and in a few cases they are not acknowledged.”
Last March Enrique appeared before the same court in a preliminary hearing relating to a separate accusation against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), owner of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday.
The Duke has also taken legal action against News Group Newspapers, owners of The Sun and News Of The World which are now defunct.
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