By Viviana Garcia
London, Dec 15 (EFE).- Britain’s Prince Harry Friday won a lawsuit against the Mirror publisher for illegal practices like hacking into his phone to get exclusives about his private life.
London’s High Court ruled in favor of the Duke of Sussex in 15 of the 33 stories he had cited as evidence to suggest that Mirror Group Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mirror, had illegally collected information between 2003 and 2009.
Judge Timothy Fancourt awarded the 39-year-old youngest son of King Charles III and the late Diana of Wales 140,600 pounds ($180,700) in damages.
The Duke of Sussex, who lives with his wife Meghan and their two children in the US, had initiated legal proceedings against the publisher, accusing the group of using dubious practices like wiretapping private phones and hiring detectives to collect personal information on the prince and those closest to him.
The monarch’s son gave evidence in court, appearing as the star witness at a trial in June, making him the first royal family member to do so in more than 100 years.
“I found that 15 out of the 33 articles were the product of phone hacking of his mobile phone or the mobile phones of his associates or the product of other unlawful information gatherings,” Judge Fancourt said.
“I consider that his phone was only hacked to a modest extent and that this was probably carefully controlled by certain people at each newspaper.”
The judge noted that it happened occasionally from late 2003 to April 2009.
In his testimony, the prince tended to assume that everything published was the product of voicemail interception because hacking was widespread in the Mirror group, the judge said.
“Today is a great day for truth as well as accountability,” the prince said in a statement read by his lawyer, David Sherborne, outside the court.
“This case is not just about hacking. It is about a systemic practice of unlawful and appalling behavior, followed by cover-ups and destruction of evidence, the shocking scale of which can only be revealed through these proceedings,” he said.
He said the lawsuit was needed to uphold “a free and honest press.”
“I have been told that slaying dragons will get you burned. But in light of today’s victory…it’s a worthwhile price to pay.”
An MGN spokesperson said they welcomed the ruling, giving the company the clarity needed to move forward on events that took place many years ago. “We apologize.”
At his court appearance last June, the prince admitted that the tabloids’ actions to obtain exclusives created “paranoia” and “mistrust” and had impacted his life.
The prince accused the tabloids of having “incited hatred and harassment.” EFE
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