August M
Prince Harry’s legal challenge against a major newspaper group has encountered fresh uncertainty just weeks before it is due to reach court.
A disputed claim involving another high-profile claimant has now been publicly contradicted, casting a shadow over part of the case.
High-profile lawsuit
According to the Daily Express, Prince Harry is one of seven claimants bringing legal action against Associated Newspapers Limited, the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday.
The group is accused of unlawful information gathering, including phone hacking and bugging, allegations the publisher has strongly denied.
Among the other claimants is Baroness Lawrence, the mother of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence, whose case focuses on claims that a private investigator was paid to secretly obtain information about her.
Central allegation
Baroness Lawrence has alleged that private investigator Jonathan Rees was hired by the Daily Mail to gather information about her and the investigation into her son’s murder.
She previously claimed her phone conversations had been listened to and said: “Jonathan Rees confirmed that he had done more things for the Daily Mail… aimed at secretly stealing information about me and the investigations into Stephen’s murder.”
However, Rees has now disputed that account.
Mounting challenges
The revelation comes around a month before the trial is scheduled to begin in January and ahead of proceedings expected to cost more than £38 million.
The Express also reported that this is not the only difficulty facing the claimants. In recent weeks, another private investigator, Gavin Burrows, challenged a witness statement linked to Prince Harry’s legal team.
Burrows said claims that he had been involved in hacking and bugging were “false” and alleged that his signature on the statement had been “forged”.
The developments add further uncertainty as the long-awaited trial draws closer.
Sources: Daily Express, Channel 4 Dispatches
