"Boycott Piers Morgan": Prince Harry's partial win in phone-hacking case against Mirror Group sparks outrage against British broadcaster

On Friday, December 15, 2023, Prince Harry won a partial victory in a phone-hacking case against the Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which includes the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror, and People newspaper.

A high court judge, Mr Justice Fancourt, has ruled that there was "extensive" phone hacking done by MGN from 2006 to 2011. The judge has also found that former Mirror editor Piers Morgan was aware of the hackings. In interviews given in the past, Morgan has denied knowing anything about the hacking and other unlawful behavior.

Currently working for News Corp, Morgan has been an outspoken critic of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. According to Reuters, Morgan has declined to comment on the judge's findings.

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Prince Harry's lawyer calls the case "a systemic practice of unlawful and appalling behavior"

Lawyer David Sherborne gives a statement on Prince Harry's behalf (Image via Getty Images)

Lawyer David Sherborne, who gave a statement on behalf of Prince Harry to the British press, said:

“This case is not just about hacking, it’s 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.”

According to The Guardian, the judge has awarded Prince Harry £140,600 ($179,763) for the "distress" caused by the published articles containing information about him obtained illegally.

As per TIME, Mr Justice Fancourt also found that information in 15 out of 33 articles focused on during the trial was obtained by phone hacking or through other unlawful activity. He said that phones were hacked "to a modest extent" from the end of 2003 to April 2009.

According to The Guardian, he also reported in his findings that the senior executives of MGN controlled the hacking. He stated that Piers Morgan was one such senior executive who knew about the hacking.

Piers Morgan knew about the phone hacking, judge rules (Image via Getty Images)

A witness, Omid Scobie, had given evidence that Morgan knew about the routine phone hacking employed by MGN after being "reassured" regarding a story about singer Kylie Minogue that had been intercepted from a voicemail.

Judge Fancourt said in his ruling on Friday that he believed Scobie to be "a straightforward and reliable witness."

The Duke of Sussex had sought £440,000 as reparations for the emotional distress he had been through at the hands of British media. According to The Guardian, he has become the first royal to appear in a witness box in 130 years.

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#BoycottPiersMorgan gains traction on X following Prince Harry's partial victory

Piers Morgan is no stranger to controversy. Following the discovery of his coverup of the phone hacking scandal, #BoycottPiersMorgan has gained traction on X (formerly Twitter).

According to TIME, MGN released this statement after the ruling on Friday:

“We welcome today’s judgment that gives the business the necessary clarity to move forward from events that took place many years ago. Where historical wrongdoings took place, we apologize unreservedly, have taken full responsibility and paid appropriate compensation.”

This is not the only newspaper being sued by the Duke of Sussex. Prince Harry's other legal battles include cases against Associated Newspaper Ltd (publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday) and News Group Newspapers (publisher of The Sun).