Labour MP given 'substantial damages' after Sun accessed text messages
Last edited Mon Mar 18, 2013, 10:58 AM - Edit history (1)
Source: The Guardian
The Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh has accepted "very substantial damages" from News International, with the Sun admitting that it accessed text messages from her mobile phone after it was stolen, the high court has heard.
Details of the payout to McDonagh came on at a high court case management hearing relating to civil damages claims for voicemail interception on Monday, which heard that "hundreds" more victims may now take action against News International following allegations of a second significant phone-hacking operation at the now defunct News of the World.
The Sun, which was not accused of stealing McDonagh's phone, admitted that there was "serious wrongdoing and misuse of her private information and her mobile phone" and agreed to pay her damages and legal costs.
...
David Sherborne, counsel for McDonagh, said her phone had been stolen from her car in Colliers Wood in south-west London on 17 October 2010 and she immediately reported it to the police.
Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2013/mar/18/labour-mp-damages-sun-accessed-texts
Notice this all happened after the New York Times published its investigation showing that Andy Coulson, ex-editor of The Sun's sister paper the News of the World, must have known about his employees hacking into phones. Murdoch's tabloids were still breaking the law, even after one of their employees had been sent to jail for it, and the involvement of Coulson, by then the PM's communications director, was obvious. They really must have thought they were untouchable.
"Under my editorship, I think ethics have played a strong role and hugely influence my decision-making."
Dominic Mohan, editor of The Sun at the time they received the stolen information about the MP, giving evidence to the Leveson Inquiry. Still editor of The Sun, but perhaps not for much longer ...