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| Phone hacking: Sarah Ferguson and Hugh Grant among 144 to win damages | Phone hacking: Sarah Ferguson and Hugh Grant among 144 to win damages |
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| Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, is among 144 people who have won substantial damages after settling their phone-hacking claims against the News of the World, the high court has heard. | Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, is among 144 people who have won substantial damages after settling their phone-hacking claims against the News of the World, the high court has heard. |
| Ferguson is one of 17 individuals who demanded an public apology from the now defunct tabloid's publisher, News International, at the high court in London on Friday morning. | Ferguson is one of 17 individuals who demanded an public apology from the now defunct tabloid's publisher, News International, at the high court in London on Friday morning. |
| Others who had statements read out in open court after receiving damages include Hugh Grant and Geoffrey Robinson, the Labour MP. | Others who had statements read out in open court after receiving damages include Hugh Grant and Geoffrey Robinson, the Labour MP. |
| Damages have also been awarded to singer James Blunt; Jade Goody's ex-boyfriend Jeff Brazier; former Doctor Who actor Christopher Eccleston; and fork-bender Uri Geller, who is believed to have been targeted because of his friendship with Michael Jackson. | Damages have also been awarded to singer James Blunt; Jade Goody's ex-boyfriend Jeff Brazier; former Doctor Who actor Christopher Eccleston; and fork-bender Uri Geller, who is believed to have been targeted because of his friendship with Michael Jackson. |
| June Sarpong, the TV presenter, and Chris Terrill, the BBC film-maker who had a relationship with Heather Mills, also accepted damages for invasion of privacy by the tabloid. | June Sarpong, the TV presenter, and Chris Terrill, the BBC film-maker who had a relationship with Heather Mills, also accepted damages for invasion of privacy by the tabloid. |
| Actor and former Atomic Kitten singer Kerry Katona and Colin Stagg, who was wrongly accused of the murder of Rachel Nickell have also won damages. Stagg is one of the few whose damages were revealed – he was awarded £15,500. | Actor and former Atomic Kitten singer Kerry Katona and Colin Stagg, who was wrongly accused of the murder of Rachel Nickell have also won damages. Stagg is one of the few whose damages were revealed – he was awarded £15,500. |
| Edwina Pitman, a freelance journalist who worked in a Mayfair gallery frequented by Jeffrey Archer, was also awarded substantial damages, as was Richard Reardon, Charlotte Church's parish priest. | Edwina Pitman, a freelance journalist who worked in a Mayfair gallery frequented by Jeffrey Archer, was also awarded substantial damages, as was Richard Reardon, Charlotte Church's parish priest. |
| Others include two journalists, Hannah Cleaver and Edward Hynds, and Hillary Perrin, the director of regional organisation of the Labour party. | Others include two journalists, Hannah Cleaver and Edward Hynds, and Hillary Perrin, the director of regional organisation of the Labour party. |
| Hugh Tomlinson QC, for the phone-hacking victims, told Mr Justice Vos that 144 out of 169 cases had settled out of court. | |
| However, he said that 26 cases remained on the books including six new cases but that "we ... anticipate that the number will be greatly reduced in the next few weeks." He said seven of these "appeared to be definitely going to trial". | However, he said that 26 cases remained on the books including six new cases but that "we ... anticipate that the number will be greatly reduced in the next few weeks." He said seven of these "appeared to be definitely going to trial". |
| Tomlinson said that he expected more cases to come through the high court after News International's decision to close its private compensation scheme in April. | Tomlinson said that he expected more cases to come through the high court after News International's decision to close its private compensation scheme in April. |
| He said he expected "more than 10 but less than 100" new cases. | He said he expected "more than 10 but less than 100" new cases. |
| Brazier, who had two children with reality TV star Goody, who died in 2009, was targeted from 2002, the court heard. He was contacted by the police in late 2011 and found that a number of details about his private life appeared in a file prepared for the News of the World on both himself and Goody. | |
| The high court was told private details were in an address book of a journalist at the News of the World including a temporary address that he had only stayed at between house moves. The address of a shop that Brazier had visited only once or twice was also in the address book. | |
| Brazier's statement said that the "unlawful activities" by News of the World had caused distrust between him and Goody and led to arguments during their relationship. "The claimant is very distressed that he can now never apologise to Ms Goody for the times that he did not believe her despite her denials that she was the source of particular private information in the public domain," it added. | |
| The court heard that Hugh Grant was targeted "at various times from about 2004 until the closure of News of the World" in 2011. His voicemail was intercepted because of his leading roles in movies, but also because of his "well-known relationships and friendships with various high-profile women". | |
| Grant said he was unable to understand how details about his private life came to be published and he was contacted by Operation Weeting police in 2011 and told his name and other information appeared in documents seized in 2006 in relation to a News of the World phone-hacking case. | |
| The court heard Grant was "shocked and distressed to discover considerable evidence that indicated that he was targeted" and that he had been placed under surveillance. | |
| Grant was also "particularly distressed to learn that he had wrongly mistrusted and avoided friends and acquaintances in the past" because of the phone hacking. | |
| He accepted a public apology from News International and said he would be making a donation to Hacked Off, the lobby group campaigning for tough reforms of press regulation. | |
| News International is still facing 26 damages claims, which were listed in court as those taken by the former nanny Louise Woodward; boxer Chris Eubank; Princess Diana's former butler Paul Burrell; former police officer and Crimewatch presenter Jacqui Hames; her husband David Cook; and Jane Winter, who worked at a northern Irish charity, British Irish Rights Watch. | |
| TV and entertainment PR Ian Johnson, who represents clients including Nesbitt, has also not settled his claim. Nor has Tara Palmer-Tompkinson; EastEnders actor Jessie Wallace; the executors of Goody's estate; Brian Harvey, the former boyfriend of Kerry Katona; and Tony Woodley, a union executive. | |
| Six new cases were also confirmed at the high court on Friday, by former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan, Nigel Lythgoe, the TV producer behind American Idol. | |
| More details soon ... | More details soon ... |
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