Wednesday 20 July 2011

Met to hand alleged phone-hacking notes to Hugh Grant and Jemima Khan

The Metropolitan police has been ordered by the high court to hand over information to Hugh Grant and Jemima Khan in relation to the alleged hacking of their voicemail messages by an investigator hired by the News of the World and other newspapers.

Mr Justice Vos told the court on Wednesday it was "expedient and proper" that information relating to messages allegedly intercepted by private investigator Glenn Mulcaire should be disclosed.

Grant and Khan had been contacted by the police "informally" with "details of the material which indicates there may have been interception of their telephone messages", the court heard.

David Sherborne representing Grant and Khan, also requested information held by Scotland Yard relating to the "passing of material about the claimants to other newspapers".

This is the first time newspapers other than the News of the World could potentially be drawn into the phone-hacking scandal as a result of the civil actions for invasion of privacy being brought by celebrities and other public figures.

The application for the disclosure of the material was not opposed by the police commissioner.

The high court also ordered the disclosure of former News of the World reporter Clive Goodman's notes in relation to his work as royal editor and the Blackadder gossip column he wrote at the paper.

Four years ago Goodman was sentenced to four months in jail after pleading guilty to intercepting phone messages. Mulcaire was sentenced to six months after pleading guilty to the same charge.

Neither Grant nor Khan were at the 20-minute hearing in London.

 

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