Charlotte Church accepts £600,000 settlement from News of the World

SINGER Charlotte Church has agreed a £600,000 settlement with the publishers of the now-defunct News of the World after she was “targeted” repeatedly by the newspaper, the High Court in London heard today.

Ms Church - and her parents James and Maria - settled their claim against News Group Papers, including £300,000 legal costs.

Church’s lawyer told a judge that the paper “unlawfully obtained her private medical information and details of her personal relationships with her family and friends”.

Their solicitor, Mike Brookes, told Mr Justice Vos: “Through these proceedings a flavour of what Charlotte has been subjected to has finally been revealed, and now admitted by NGN.”

The singer was present in the packed courtroom to hear Mr Brookes read out a statement on the family’s behalf.

Mr Brookes said: “The News of the World targeted Charlotte and her voicemail messages repeatedly, and in doing so unlawfully obtained her private medical information and details of her personal relationships with her family and friends.

“It began in 2002 when Charlotte was just 16-years-old and continued for many years.”

He added: “Charlotte was also regularly harassed and even placed under surveillance by the News of the World and those paid by them. They followed the every move of a teenage girl.”

The court was told by Mr Brookes that Ms Church’s parents were not in the public eye, but had not escaped the “unwanted attentions of the News of the World”.

He said: “As these proceedings have revealed, their own privacy has been violated on a number of occasions.

“The motivation for this intrusion into the lives of two essentially private and ordinary individuals was to make money.”

The solicitor added: “It is only due to the courage and determination of Maria, James and Charlotte that I am able to stand before you today to confirm these events, and tell you that finally the News of the World have accepted responsibility for the way they have treated my clients.

“They are apologising. That much goes without saying. They have also agreed, amongst other things, to pay the Church family £600,000 in damages and legal costs.

Michael Silverleaf QC, for NGN, said: “I am here today to offer my client’s sincere apologies to the Church family for the way they have been treated.

“NGN acknowledges that they should never have had to endure what they have suffered and that NGN are liable for the damage that they have caused.”