London (EFE) “eavesdropping” resorted to by the Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) group.
The youngest son of King Carlos III did not appear before the High Court this morning and Judge Timothy Fancourt has required his presence for the afternoon session, despite the fact that, initially, he had planned to testify tomorrow.
Enrique has sued MGN alleging that journalists from its flagships – which include the Sunday Mirror and the Sunday People – engaged in dubious methods to obtain information.
These practices include the interception of private telephones (or “hacking”) or the use of private detectives to carry out illegal activities.
illegal methods
The Duke’s case is set out alongside three other indictments deemed “representative” of UK celebrities, as part of a legal process that began last month and will last for about seven weeks.
According to the youngest son of King Carlos III and Lady Di, some 140 articles published between 1996 and 2010 contained information collected using illegal methods, 33 of which will be taken into account during this trial.
For its part, MGN denies or does not admit this practice and also argues that some of the plaintiffs have transferred their particular cases to court too late.
Right to compensation
During Sherborne’s presentation, the lawyer recalled today how the Sunday People took out a double page with a private discussion between the Duke and his older brother, William, while the Daily Mirror came to headline: “Henry’s girlfriend is going to leave”.
The lawyer criticized the group for divulging “every facet of his life, including the ups and downs of his first serious relationship with Chelsea Davy, aired throughout the newspaper as an exclusive.”
The media group’s defense has argued that they had “apologised unreservedly” and that the prince was entitled to “appropriate compensation.”
According to MGN lawyer Andrew Green, the group once admitted that a journalist from The People instructed a private detective to illegally obtain information about Enrique’s activities during an outing at a London nightclub in February 2004. .
Green considered that “for the rest, the specified accusations are rejected and, in a few cases, not admitted.”
Enrique appeared last March before that same court in a preliminary hearing related to a separate accusation against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), owner of the Daily Mail and Mail On Sunday.
The Duke has also taken legal action against News Group Newspapers, owners of The Sun and the now-defunct News Of The World.