Did knowledge of phone hacking by Mirror Group Newspapers journalists go right to the top?
The privacy trial brought by Prince Harry and others did not hear from former Mirror boss Piers Morgan The seven-week trial into allegations of phone hacking by Mirror Group Newspapers journalists has come to an end. Is the evidence against the tabloid stacking up?
What became clear during the trial was Mirror journalists didn't just make up their stories as many critics of the tabloids might believe. They pursued accurate reporting of celebrity secrets as vigorously as another journalist might investigate a corrupt politician. They brought together a series of incidents, which they said suggested he knew quite a lot about phone hacking and blagging - the reckless obtaining of personal information such as addresses, phone bills or bank statements - in the hope of creating an unbreakable thread of evidence.
And the agent for TV presenter Ulrika Jonsson, who couldn't work out why Mr Morgan seemed to know so much about her client.But neither side called Mr Morgan to the witness box to defend himself. In civil trials, witnesses only tend to be called if they can help one side or the other. The Mirror Group argued Mr Morgan's appearance would have been an "unnecessary distraction" from the issues the judge has to decide.
He also insisted he didn't know phone hacking was going on, but also that he couldn't be sure stories hadn't been published which used unlawful methods. A reporter might get one to find an address and phone number from credit reference agencies, or from the Electoral Roll, potentially breaching data protection laws.
Quotes lifted from phone hacking would be written up as the words of anonymous "insiders" to disguise their source, the court heard.
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