Daily Mirror 'paid private investigator without checks', court hears

A Daily Mirror quality exertion waived done payments to backstage investigators without being definite they utilized lawful methods, a tribunal has heard.

Anthony Harwood told the High Court proceedings examining Prince Harry's privateness claims that helium had nary crushed to judge they were breaking the law.

He was shown respective payments helium authorised to an researcher who stole documents from celebrities' rubbish.

Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) are contesting the claims against them.

During 5 hours of questioning, Mr Harwood was shown dozens of emails and invoices suggesting payments by the Mirror to a scope of backstage investigators successful the UK and US.

These suggested investigators were accessing ex-directory telephone numbers, societal information details, and fiscal records, arsenic good arsenic deploying different methods to get information.

Barrister David Sherbourne, who is representing the claimants successful the case, said often the operation "special investigation" was used, which helium said indicated unlawful accusation gathering, but Mr Harwood said the insubstantial was paying for accusation which could beryllium obtained legitimately.

Mr Harwood was questioned astir his ties with Benjamin Pell, a freelancer who erstwhile specialised successful rummaging done the bins of well-known radical for accusation astir them.

He agreed Pell was "notorious" for moving for different newspapers, including the now-defunct News of the World, but said helium had nary nonstop dealings with him personally.

Mr Sherbourne presented Mr Harwood with invoices worthy hundreds of pounds paid by the Daily Mirror to Pell.

These included sums for stories astir David Beckham, the set All Saints, and the past director-general of the BBC, John Birt - and had been signed disconnected by Mr Harwood.

The erstwhile quality exertion said helium was "just determination to tick off" the payments. Asked if helium was "just waiving done payments", helium said "yes", adding: "You wouldn't person clip to unfastened each one. It was a tick container system."

He referred to the unit of "getting things into the paper", saying "anything up to £400 I'd astir apt tick".

Mr Sherborne asked if it was Mr Harwood's work to guarantee that journalists and the enactment they carried retired was lawful.

He said helium assumed that it was and helium "had nary crushed to believe" they were breaking the law.

Mirror Group Newspapers admits amerciable methods were utilized to stitchery immoderate stories but denies elder editors knew, and disagrees that wrong-doing was widespread.

More than 100 alleged victims accidental their accusation was unlawfully obtained by Mirror newspapers done telephone hacking and alleged blagging. Four cases, including that of Prince Harry, are being considered successful the existent trial.

Mr Harwood's byline appeared connected a contested 2004 nonfiction by the Daily Mirror which revealed the individuality of Chelsy Davy, Prince Harry's past woman who was referred to arsenic a "mystery blonde" astatine the time.

The claimants accidental the communicative was obtained done unlawful methods.

Mr Harwood said the individuality was archetypal reported by the Daily Mail and helium was assured the Mirror's mentation of the communicative was obtained legitimately.

Mr Harwood worked arsenic a table exertion betwixt 1995 and 2003, earlier moving to New York arsenic the paper's exertion successful the US. He returned to the UK successful 2005, becoming caput of news.

He was called arsenic a witnesser due to the fact that helium is present moving freelance providing "journalistic support" to lawyers for Mirror Group Newspapers which is defending itself against privateness claims.

Mr Harwood told the court: "In my experience, telephone hacking was not habitual oregon rife connected the Mirror quality table - I was not alert of anyone successful my section who hacked phones. We conscionable didn't bash that."

He said determination was thing untoward astir the fig of personage telephone numbers helium had successful his possession, arguing it was indispensable for a quality exertion to clasp them successful lawsuit they needed to beryllium reached urgently to reply to a story.

Mr Harwood said the numbers were not utilized for hacking oregon immoderate different unlawful method.

In earlier grounds a method manager astatine Mirror Group Newspapers, Peter Raettig, was questioned astir wherefore back-ups of the email accounts of cardinal executives successful the aboriginal 2000s were mostly empty.

He said users were encouraged to delete aged emails to trim the magnitude of information held by the system.

Mirror Group Newspapers provided a snapshot of its email information successful 2011 to the Leveson Inquiry into property standards.