Phone hacking ‘ruined my life’

Former footballers Gary Mabbutt, second left, and Paul Gascoigne, second right, arrive at the High Court in London. Picture: PA

The 47-year-old former soccer star said he knew he was getting hacked by the Daily Mirror.

His voice hoarse and shaking with emotion, he told Mr Justice Mann in London: “This continued for ages. Phone calls to my father and family were getting blocked so I changed my mobile. It happened again so I kept on changing mobiles, five or six times a month.”

Mr Gascoigne, who is complaining about 18 articles – all accepted to have been the product of hacking – said: “I couldn’t speak to anybody, I was scared to speak to anybody – my parents, my family and kids, it was just horrendous.

Former footballers Paul Gascoigne, right, and Gary Mabbutt leave the High Court in London. Picture: PA

“And people can’t understand why I became an alcoholic.”

He went on: “I was going through a bad time because I knew I was getting hacked, 110 per cent. Of course [people] wouldn’t believe it – my family and Mr McKeown [therapist Johnny McKeown].

“As I was speaking to him on the phone, it clicked again. He told me I was paranoid, I was going through a mental disorder.

“I said, ‘No, there’s f***-all wrong with me’. I knew, I knew. I put the phone down. I’ve never told a lie, nothing to lie about, nothing. Disgusting. Cr*p.”

After brief questioning by his counsel, David Sherborne, Mr Gascoigne reacted strongly when he was told he would not face cross-examination by Matthew Nicklin QC, for Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) and his evidence was going unchallenged.

He said: “I have waited 15 years to be sat here so I am disgusted, really. I would like to trade my mobile phone in for a coffin because these guys have ruined my life. I have no life.”

And as left the building he said: “They bottled it.”

His evidence came during a hearing to determine what compensation should be paid in eight representative cases – the others involve TV executive Alan Yentob, actress Sadie Frost, soap stars Shobna Gulati, Lucy Taggart and Shane Richie, flight attendant Lauren Alcorn and TV producer Robert Ashworth.

Mr Sherborne has described hacking as rife at all three of the group’s national titles by mid-1999.

In his written statement, Mr Gascoigne said that he suffered from alcohol dependency over a number of years and also had treatment for drug use and addiction to the drink Red Bull. “I have suffered from mental illness, including paranoia, obsessive compulsive disorder, depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation. I am bipolar and I have an addictive personality.”

The period between 2000 and 2006 was very difficult, mentally and physically, and he wrongly accused people close to him, such as his stepdaughter Bianca, of going to the newspapers with stories about him.

“I became obsessed about being monitored. I felt that I was being watched or listened in to all the time for years and the pressure on me because of that was more than I think any sane person could bear.”

While he was at Everton in October 2000, he felt as if his life was falling apart and went to stay at the Priory in the early hours as he needed to get help very quickly.

“The main reason why I had to go to get help at the Priory on this occasion was the constant pressure from the media, including articles and threats of articles being published by journalists.

“I was also convinced that my phone was being tapped to get stories about me that very few people knew about. I felt very paranoid at that time about being pursued by the media.

“I felt I could not cope with the media attention any more and I seriously thought about jumping in front of a train.”

He said the level of surveillance he was under, including being followed by private investigators made him feel sick.” The hearing continues.

Phone hacking ‘ruined my life’ - Paul Gascoigne