The former editor of the Daily Mail, Paul Dacre, will be called as a witness in the legal action brought by Prince Harry and six other high-profile figures against the newspaper's publisher, the High Court has heard. Antony White KC, for Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), said Dacre, now editor-in-chief of DMG Media, and Peter Wright, a former Mail on Sunday editor, could testify early in the trial, scheduled to begin on 19 January.
The claimants, including Sir Elton John, Liz Hurley, and Doreen Lawrence, allege ANL carried out unlawful information gathering, such as hiring private investigators to place listening devices and accessing private records. ANL vehemently denies the allegations. White argued it was "critically important" for Dacre and Wright to address the claims first, while David Sherborne for the claimants noted Dacre's evidence to the Leveson inquiry was relevant.
Mr Justice Nicklin warned he would not allow the case to become a "wide-ranging public inquiry" or permit "rabbits produced out of a hat" to ambush witnesses. The judge granted the claimants restricted access to notebooks kept by private investigator Stephen Whittamore, which detailed his dealings with journalists. Sherborne had argued that denying access was "wholly unjust."
The court has previously heard that investigator Gavin Burrows withdrew a statement allegedly claiming involvement in voicemail hacking, calling his signature a "forgery." Sherborne dismissed this as a "grotesque inclusion." The trial, with estimated legal costs of £38m, is expected to last nine weeks.
