Among others, Prince Harry, Elton John, Liz Hurley and Sadie Frost have sued the publisher for “illegal collection of information” and, according to the accusations, private investigators have been used to plan out listening devices in cars and homes. In addition, both police and hospital staff are said to have been bribed, private telephone conversations recorded and bank transactions manipulated.
In a statement from Prince Harry’s law firm in connection with the lawsuit last fall, there is “convincing and very distressing evidence” showing that those affected have been victims of “heinous criminal activities and gross breaches of privacy.”
Associated Newspapers Limited rejects the allegations “emphatically and unequivocally” and says they are “baseless and highly defamatory allegations”.
The official trial starts in May.
