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Phone hacking: Paul Gascoigne wins damages from Mirror Group Phone hacking: Paul Gascoigne wins damages from Mirror Group
(about 1 hour later)
Former footballer Paul Gascoigne has won £188,250 in phone-hacking damages from Mirror Group Newspapers.Former footballer Paul Gascoigne has won £188,250 in phone-hacking damages from Mirror Group Newspapers.
The payout was one of eight announced at London's High Court and followed a three-week hearing to determine the extent of wrongdoing and damages.The payout was one of eight announced at London's High Court and followed a three-week hearing to determine the extent of wrongdoing and damages.
Celebrities awarded payments include actress Sadie Frost, who won £260,000, and soap stars Shane Richie, Lucy Benjamin and Shobna Gulati.Celebrities awarded payments include actress Sadie Frost, who won £260,000, and soap stars Shane Richie, Lucy Benjamin and Shobna Gulati.
Mirror Group said it was considering whether to seek permission to appeal.Mirror Group said it was considering whether to seek permission to appeal.
Mr Richie, who plays Alfie Moon in EastEnders, was awarded £155,000 in damages. The judge, Mr Justice Mann said the victims had all suffered a "serious infringement of privacy" and the scale of hacking had been "very substantial".
Ms Benjamin - now known by her married name of Lucy Taggart - played Lucy Fowler in EastEnders and will receive £157,250. Soap stars
He awarded Mr Richie, who plays Alfie Moon in EastEnders, £155,000 in damages.
Ms Benjamin - who was referred to in court by her real name of Lucy Taggart - played Lisa Fowler in EastEnders and received £157,250.
Mr Justice Mann also awarded Ms Gulati, Coronation Street's Sunita Alahan, £117,500, and £85,000 to BBC creative director Alan Yentob.Mr Justice Mann also awarded Ms Gulati, Coronation Street's Sunita Alahan, £117,500, and £85,000 to BBC creative director Alan Yentob.
TV producer Robert Ashworth, who was married to Coronation Street actress Tracy Shaw, received £201,250, while flight attendant Lauren Alcorn, who had a relationship with footballer Rio Ferdinand, was awarded £72,500.TV producer Robert Ashworth, who was married to Coronation Street actress Tracy Shaw, received £201,250, while flight attendant Lauren Alcorn, who had a relationship with footballer Rio Ferdinand, was awarded £72,500.
The payouts total £1.2 million.The payouts total £1.2 million.
Phone hacking was carried out by "teams of journalists" across three Mirror Group publications - the Mirror, the Sunday Mirror and the People - the hearing was told. Trinity Mirror, which owns Mirror Group Newspapers, said it was considering an appeal.
In February, Trinity Mirror - the owner of the three titles - published a "sincere and unreserved" apology for the voicemail interception, saying it "was unlawful and should never have happened". "Our initial view of the lengthy judgment is that the basis used for calculating damages is incorrect and we are therefore considering whether to seek permission to appeal," it said.
Following the ruling, solicitors for Ms Frost said she was "relieved" and "thrilled" with the outcome. In February, Trinity Mirror - which owns the Mirror, the Sunday Mirror and the People - published a "sincere and unreserved" apology for the voicemail interception, saying it "was unlawful and should never have happened".
The impact of hacking had been "sustained and intrusive", her solicitors said in a statement, adding that the actress "reluctantly" accepts she may never know the full extent of the unlawful activities by Mirror Group journalists. 'Lonely place'
Ms Frost had told the hearing that hacking made her life a "living hell" and that, as stories about her continued to appear in national newspapers, she ended up not trusting her own mother. BBC legal affairs correspondent Clive Coleman said the damages were "much, much bigger than anything we have ever seen before".
He said it was only the third time a judge had ruled on a privacy case.
The damages dwarfed those awarded to former Formula 1 boss Max Mosley, who successfully sued the now defunct News of the World in 2008.
He was awarded £60,000, which our correspondent said was previously the biggest sum awarded by a UK court in a privacy case.
"This is the first set of awards from a judge in a phone-hacking case", he said.
"If you look at hacking over a very long period then clearly the judge has come up with a formula to determine much, much larger damages than we have ever seen in a privacy case before."
Following the ruling, Ms Frost said she was "relieved" the case was over and said the ruling was "closure" for her.
Phone hacking had left her unable to trust the "closest people in my life", she said, adding: "When you lose trust in your friends and family it is a very lonely place to be."
During the hearing she said hacking made her life a "living hell" and left her unable to trust her own mother.
Solicitors for Ms Frost said the impact of the hacking on her had been "sustained and intrusive", saying she "reluctantly" accepts she may never know the full extent of the unlawful activities by Mirror Group journalists.
'Gross intrusion'
James Heath, from Ms Frost's solicitors Atkins Thomson, said payments were "greater than any other publicly available award of damages in a privacy case".James Heath, from Ms Frost's solicitors Atkins Thomson, said payments were "greater than any other publicly available award of damages in a privacy case".
Phone hacking by Mirror Group journalists was "widespread, institutionalised and long standing", resulting in "gross intrusion" into the lives of the victims, he said. Phone hacking by Mirror Group journalists was "widespread, institutionalised and long standing", resulting in "gross intrusion" into the lives of the victims, he added.
'Scared to speak' Mr Gascoigne was described by his lawyer as being "delighted" with the result.
Mr Gascoigne was described by his lawyer as being "delighted and relieved" with the result. He was "relieved" to have discovered that his private information had been hacked and not leaked by "someone close to him", his solicitor added.
The former footballer had told the hearing that hacking left him "scared to speak to anybody" on the phone. He said the ordeal had "ruined his life". The former footballer told the hearing that hacking had left him "scared to speak to anybody" on the phone. He said the ordeal had "ruined his life".
He had complained about 18 articles published by Mirror Newspapers - all of which were accepted to have been the product of illegal activity.He had complained about 18 articles published by Mirror Newspapers - all of which were accepted to have been the product of illegal activity.
The ex-international footballer said his own family had not believed his phone was being hacked, while his therapist told him he was "paranoid" and "going through a mental disorder". 'Relationships were lost'
His own family had not believed his phone was being hacked, Mr Gascoigne said, while his therapist told him he was "paranoid" and "going through a mental disorder".
Anjlee Saigol, a solicitor who represented Ms Gulati and Mr Ashworth, said they were "extremely happy" with the decision.
"The judge noted how relationships were lost, problems within marriages exacerbated and personal difficulties made worse due to MGN's conduct," she said.
Christopher Hutchings, solicitor for Ms Alcorn, said the judgment should encourage "ordinary people who have found themselves to be victims of phone hacking to take steps to bring the offending parts of the media to account".