Prince Harry case told MGN knew about phone hacking

A writer antecedently convicted for telephone hacking has told a tribunal executives astatine Mirror Group Newspapers were alert of "the wide organised transgression and progressive successful its cover-up".

Graham Johnson told a civilian proceedings into alleged telephone hacking of Prince Harry and others however an exertion asked him to bug histrion Denise Welch's edifice room.

He besides described buying constabulary reports connected footballer Wayne Rooney.

MGN contradict elder bosses knew astir the practices and failed to halt them.

It is alleged that journalists from the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and The People obtained backstage and confidential accusation astir people's lives done a assortment of unlawful means betwixt 1991 and 2011 - including accessing voicemail messages connected their phones.

Mr Johnson, who worked arsenic investigations exertion for the Sunday Mirror betwixt 1999 and 2005, told the High Court connected the trial's sixth time that helium became disillusioned astatine the telephone hacking and bugging helium was asked to bash by editors.

He claimed helium was told by his paper's lawman exertion Mark Thomas to works a bug portion moving connected a communicative successful 2001 astir Denise Welch, the ex-Coronation Street histrion and Loose Women panellist.

"I knew that bugging a country was a superior transgression offence and that's wherefore I walked disconnected the job. It's successful a antithetic league of criminality," helium said.

In a written statement, helium besides claimed helium was instructed by Mr Thomas, with the cognition of past exertion Tina Weaver, to "intercept the voicemails" of Ms Welch "because of a extremity that she was successful a narration with an alleged underworld figure".

The writer has accused a bid of backstage investigators and photographers of utilizing amerciable bugging, telephone hacking and blagging connected the instructions of MGN editors and journalists.

Mr Johnson said successful a written connection helium was besides progressive successful "buying delicate constabulary quality reports connected targets specified arsenic Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney", portion helium said helium was told of a "well-organised telephone hacking conspiracy" astatine the Sunday Mirror, which saw the footballers Ronaldo and Rio Ferdinand targeted.

Mr Johnson pleaded blameworthy to telephone hacking successful 2014 aft deciding to admit to his wrong-doing portion moving arsenic a journalist. He past wrote a publication astir his vocation and began investigating unlawful accusation gathering by newspapers.

During cross-examination, Andrew Green KC, representing MGN, questioned Mr Johnson astir a bid of payments helium aboriginal made to get grounds astir wrong-doing by newspapers.

The tribunal heard helium signed a £16,000 declaration with a backstage researcher Christine Hart, who specialised successful obtaining the aesculapian records of well-known people. She was successful "dire fiscal straits", according to her witnesser statement.

The declaration was for her to supply invoices proving newspapers paid for her services. But it was torn up and the wealth was ne'er paid. However, immoderate of the invoices were handed implicit by Ms Hart, the tribunal was told.

Mr Johnson was challenged by Mr Green that "paying radical who are susceptible oregon successful fiscal request to supply documents showing unlawful activity" could make "a existent information the worldly you person volition beryllium unreliable."

Mr Johnson responded: "You tin besides find autarkic corroborative sources to basal up what these invoices are about. The reliability of the invoices is not related to the payments."

When asked by Mr Green KC if helium was coming earlier the tribunal arsenic an nonsubjective and autarkic witness.

He replied: "I deliberation the reply is no. I'm not nonsubjective and autarkic successful arsenic overmuch arsenic I deliberation it's incorrect for determination to beryllium organised transgression astatine your paper and different newspapers.

"I constitute stories astir it and I'm precise blessed to assistance victims of organised transgression astatine Mirror Group."

Mirror Group Newspapers has admitted printing stories based connected telephone hacking and "blagging".

The existent lawsuit is to determine however wide unlawful enactment was, and whether elder executives knew. The institution says they did not and truthful could not person taken enactment to halt it.

If MGN loses the case, its genitor institution Reach PLC could look millions of pounds successful damages claims from hundreds of alleged victims.

Prince Harry is expected to springiness grounds astatine the proceedings successful June. He is among 4 radical whose claims are being heard successful the proceedings arsenic "representative" cases of the types of allegations facing the publisher. They volition besides assistance the tribunal acceptable the level of damages MGN should wage if the claimants win.

Others progressive are Coronation Street actors Nikki Sanderson and Michael Turner, known by his signifier sanction Michael Le Vell, and comedian Paul Whitehouse's ex-wife Fiona Wightman.