A private investigator at the centre of Prince Harry's legal action against the publisher of the Daily Mail has claimed that his signature on an earlier witness statement was a forgery, the High Court has heard.
Gavin Burrows, linked to allegations of unlawful information gathering made by seven prominent individuals including Sir Elton John and Doreen Lawrence, retracted his alleged confession, saying it was 'completely false'. He had allegedly claimed in a 2021 statement that he obtained information by hacking voicemails, tapping landlines and bugging cars for the Mail on Sunday.
Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) denies the allegations of hiring private investigators to place listening devices and access private phone conversations. In a fresh 30-page witness statement made on 25 September 2025, Burrows restated his denial, saying he had never carried out illegal activity on behalf of ANL and that the signature on the 2021 document was not his.
Burrows said he was on heavy painkillers after a serious assault and drinking heavily when approached by former journalist Graham Johnson, who wanted help with research on phone-hacking claims. He said he was told the claims against newspapers were a 'perfect scam' and a 'gravy train' that would likely settle out of court.
The court heard that Burrows initially was a witness for the group but is now subject to legal arguments about whether he will be called as a witness. Mr Justice Nicklin gave the claimants' lawyer seven days to decide whether to apply for a witness summons to call Burrows, and said if his evidence was inconsistent, he could be treated as 'hostile'.
