Elton John Condemns Daily Mail Publisher Over 'Abhorrent' Privacy Invasion
Elton John has publicly accused the publisher of the Daily Mail of committing an "abhorrent" invasion of privacy, stating that articles concerning his health and the birth of his son fell "outside even the most basic standards of human decency." The iconic singer, aged 78, made these remarks during a brief appearance via video link at the high court, where he expressed being "incensed" upon learning of allegations that private investigators working for Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL) had tapped phone calls and accessed confidential medical information.
Legal Battle Over Privacy Allegations
John and his husband, David Furnish, are part of a group of seven claimants, which includes Prince Harry and the mother of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence, who are accusing ANL of benefiting from unlawful activities such as bugging, tapping landlines, and hacking phones. The couple specifically complains about ten articles that covered the birth of their son, the costs of their wedding, and John's health, along with alleging two separate episodes of unlawful information gathering that did not result in published stories.
In a written submission to the court, John detailed his distress, stating, "From a personal level, I have found the Mail's deliberate invasion into my medical health and medical details surrounding the birth of our son Zachary abhorrent and outside even the most basic standards of human decency." He further explained that documents have revealed the Mail was investigating him during hospital stays and intensely probing into the birth of their first son, including confidential matters like egg donors, embryos, and paternity questions.
ANL's Defense and Counterarguments
ANL has denied all allegations, with its legal team asserting in written submissions that the claims related to Furnish and John are "groundless and unsupported by the evidence before the court." During the proceedings, barrister Catrin Evans KC suggested that the articles were obtained through legitimate means, such as public statements, spokespeople, or information from previous articles. For instance, she pointed to prior coverage in the French press regarding a 2015 article about John falling ill in Monaco and highlighted emails from John's former spokesperson, Gary Farrow.
John responded by noting that Farrow no longer works for him due to such interactions. Evans also argued that another article about tour cancellations due to medical illness was based on a statement from John's website and information Farrow provided to a news agency, though John contested its accuracy. When Evans suggested that the couple's "wider social milieu" might have leaked information, John firmly stated, "My friends do not talk to the press and that is why they're still my friends, to put it bluntly."
Central Role of Private Investigator Gavin Burrows
The case has become entangled with allegations involving private investigator Gavin Burrows, whom the claimants accuse of targeting John and Furnish's private phone calls and even hacking their gardener's voicemails. However, Burrows now claims that a signed 2021 statement detailing the alleged unlawful acts he carried out for ANL is a forgery. This disputed confession is central to the legal wrangling, with ANL stating in submissions that Burrows has denied any involvement in investigation work related to Elton John or intercepting communications concerning him.
ANL's legal team criticized the claimants' approach, arguing that they are attempting to link payment records to private investigators with articles "loosely proximate in time," which they claim show "hallmarks" of unlawful activity. ANL described this method as "unsupported by any evidence before the court and utterly baseless."
The high court case continues as both sides present their arguments, with John emphasizing the profound impact of the alleged privacy breaches on his family's life and ANL maintaining its innocence against all accusations.
