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Former Daily Mail editor tells hacking trial allegations are 'preposterous'
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Former Daily Mail editor tells hacking trial allegations are 'preposterous'

#Paul Dacre #Daily Mail #High Court #Phone hacking #Prince Harry #Associated Newspapers #Privacy lawsuit

📌 Key Takeaways

  • Former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre denied all allegations of illegal information gathering during his High Court testimony.
  • The lawsuit involves major public figures, including Prince Harry, Elton John, and Baroness Doreen Lawrence.
  • The claimants allege that Associated Newspapers Limited used private investigators for bugging, hacking, and tracking.
  • Dacre described the accusations as 'preposterous' and defended the integrity of his former newsroom staff.

📖 Full Retelling

Paul Dacre, the former long-serving editor of the Daily Mail, testified at the High Court in London on Tuesday to vehemently deny allegations of systemic phone hacking and unlawful information gathering within the newspaper Group. Appearing as part of a high-profile civil lawsuit brought by a group of high-profile figures—including Prince Harry and Baroness Doreen Lawrence—Dacre dismissed the claims as "preposterous" and "inconceivable." The legal battle centers on accusations that Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), the publisher of the Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday, commissioned private investigators to bug homes, tap phone lines, and track vehicles to obtain exclusive stories. During his testimony, Dacre maintained a defiant stance, asserting that he had no knowledge of any illegal activities during his 26-year tenure as editor. He argued that the ethical standards of the newsroom were paramount and that the allegations were based on unreliable witness statements from private investigators seeking financial gain. This trial is particularly significant as it marks one of the few instances where the internal culture of the Daily Mail has been scrutinized so openly in a judicial setting, following years of the publisher insisting it was not involved in the phone-hacking scandal that shuttered other British tabloids. Lawyers representing the claimants, who also include Sir Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley, are attempting to prove that senior executives were aware of, or even authorized, the use of illicit methods to breach privacy. The defense, led by legal counsel for ANL, continues to argue that the claims are brought too late and lack sufficient evidence to proceed to a full trial. The outcome of these preliminary hearings will determine whether the case moves forward, potentially exposing decades of editorial practices to further public and legal interrogation.

🏷️ Themes

Media Law, Privacy, Journalism Ethics

📚 Related People & Topics

High court

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Paul Dacre

English journalist (born 1948)

Paul Michael Dacre (; born 14 November 1948) is an English journalist and the former long-serving editor of the British tabloid the Daily Mail. He is also editor-in-chief of DMG Media, which publishes the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday, the free daily tabloid Metro, the MailOnline website, and other...

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📄 Original Source Content
Paul Dacre told the High Court the claims that Daily Mail staff gathered information unlawfully are "inconceivable".

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