adminIn settlements whose financial terms were made public, amounts generally ran into the tens of thousands of pounds — although Law received £130 000 (about $200 000) to settle claims against the now-shuttered News of the World tabloid, and its sister paper, The Sun.
News Group Newspapers admitted that 16 articles about Law published in the News of the World between 2003 and 2006 had been obtained by phone hacking, and that the actor had also been placed under “repeated and sustained physical surveillance”. The company also admitted that articles in The Sun tabloid misused Law’s private information — although it gave no further details.
Law’s lawyer said yesterday the acts had caused “considerable distress . . . distrust and suspicion.”
Law was one of 60 who have sued News Group Newspapers after claiming their mobile phone voicemails were hacked. Other cases settled at London’s High Court yesterday include those of former government ministers Chris Bryant and Tessa Jowell, former Deputy Prime Minister Prescott, ex-model Abi Titmuss and Sara Payne, the mother of a murdered girl.
Law’s ex-wife and actress Sadie Frost received £50 000 (about $77 000) in damages plus legal costs for phone hacking and deceit by the News of the World. Bryant received £30 000 (about $46 000) in damages plus
costs, while Prescott — a prominent member of the Labour Party — accepted £40 000 pounds (about $62 000).
After each statement, News Group lawyer Michael Silverleaf stood to express the news company’s “sincere apologies” for the damage and distress its illegal activity had caused.
The claimants described feeling mistrust, fear and paranoia as phone messages went missing, journalists knew their movements in advance or private information appeared in the media.
Frost said the paper’s activity caused her and Law to distrust each other. Rugby player Gavin Henson said he accused the family of his then-wife singer Charlotte Church of leaking stories to the press.
Other claimants included Guy Pelly, a friend of Prince William, who was awarded £40 000 (about $62 000), and Tom Rowland, a journalist who wrote for one of Murdoch’s own newspapers, the Sunday Times. He received £25 000 pounds ($39 000) after News Group admitted hacking his phone. — AP.
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