David Furnish has described as “an abomination” the alleged use of unlawful methods by the publisher of the Daily Mail to gather information for stories about him and his husband, Sir Elton John. In written evidence submitted to the High Court, Furnish said he and the singer felt “violated” by the newspaper group.
Furnish, a film producer, is one of seven claimants, including the Duke of Sussex, who accuse Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL) of commissioning private investigators to intercept voicemails and obtain private details unlawfully. ANL denies all allegations, arguing the claims are “groundless and unsupported by the evidence”.
In his statement, Furnish said the Mail had “published countless judgmental and narrow-minded stories about us” that appeared designed to undermine them. He expressed horror at learning that private investigators had allegedly recorded live telephone conversations at their Windsor home, calling it “an abomination”.
The couple claim that private investigator Gavin Burrows admitted intercepting their calls for the Mail on Sunday. However, ANL said Burrows has since stated he was never involved in any investigation relating to Elton John. The publisher also noted that information for articles often came from legitimate sources, including the couple’s own spokesperson and publicist.
Furnish said he first learned of the alleged misconduct in February 2021 from actress Elizabeth Hurley, who alerted them to the claims. “We are very grateful that Elizabeth called us,” he said. “If she hadn’t, we wouldn’t know what had happened.”
The couple are challenging ten articles published between 2000 and 2015, alleging unlawful access to medical records and other private information. ANL’s barrister, Catrin Evans, countered that details in disputed articles were already in the public domain, such as in French press reports or statements from the couple’s own website. The trial continues.
