Leveson inquiry: Stars pocket tens of thousands as they settle hacking claims

Published on Thursday 9 February 2012 02:09

Steve Coogan and Paul Gascoigne are among the latest batch of celebrities who have settled their damages claims over allegations of phone hacking by News International.

The actor and footballer are among the 54 now resolved cases out of 60 that were launched against News International subsidiary News Group Newspapers before October last year.

Gascoigne’s settlement of £68,000 and Coogan’s of £40,000 were revealed as ten agreed statements were read out to a packed courtroom yesterday.

The former England football star, who was not in court, had suffered “mental harm and distress” and fallen out with friends and family because he feared information was being given to journalists, said his lawyers.

Coogan, who was present, said later that it had been a “very stressful and time-consuming” experience for him and those close to him. “This has never been about money. Like other people who have sued, I was determined to do my part to show the depths to which the press can sink in pursuit of private information,” he said.

Five of the remainder of the cases cannot be heard at this stage for technical reasons: Elle Macpherson’s former adviser, Mary Ellen Field; footballer Ryan Giggs; former royal butler Paul Burrell; police officer and Crimewatch presenter Jacqui Hames – and her husband David Cook – and public relations consultant Nicola Phillips. But the sixth – that of singer Charlotte Church, with her parents, James and Maria – will begin at London’s High Court on 27 February.

The two-week trial before Mr Justice Vos will not just consider Church’s claim that 33 articles in the now-defunct News of the World were the product of hacking into the family’s voicemails but will also set out a compensation framework for future cases.

The judge was told that 56 new claims were in the pipeline, including Eimear Cook – the former wife of Scottish golfer Colin Montgomerie.

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Simon Hughes, who accepted £45,000 in compensation, was in court and said later that the practice of hacking was “criminal behaviour on an industrial scale”.

He added: “We must now make sure that nothing like this can ever happen again. Anyone involved in criminal activity at the News of the World must be brought to justice, and all those who allowed a large company to behave in this way must be held to account. There must also be answers to … how the police managed to fail so badly in their original investigation.”

Other high-profile awards were £25,000 to politician George Galloway, “substantial” undisclosed damages to former Labour communications director Alastair Campbell, £75,000 to sports agent Sky Andrew and another “substantial” award to Phil Hughes, who was an agent for the late footballer George Best.

There were also awards of £110,000 plus an undisclosed sum to to Sally King and her family, and substantial undisclosed awards to Gascoigne’s friend James Gardner, football agent Michael McGuire and Sheila Henry – the mother of 7/7 victim Christian Small.

Michael Silverleaf QC, for News Group Newspapers, which is facing a bill for damages and costs running into millions, expressed its “sincere apologies”.

It is understood other cases which have been settled from the ten originally due to be tried on 13 February – although no details were given – were those of singer Pete Doherty, jockey Kieren Fallon, racing trainer Samantha Wallin, and Tracey Temple, who had a relationship with Lord Prescott.