In my old life I'd be gearing up for the Prince Harry phone hacking trial this week. I don't think people have clocked this is potentially the peak of20+ years of phone hacking cases. So a quick thread of the issues (and if you're a broadcaster who needs someone to do a turn explaining this, DM.) - ThreadSky

jim.londoncentric.media • 37 days ago

In my old life I'd be gearing up for the Prince Harry phone hacking trial this week. I don't think people have clocked this is potentially the peak of20+ years of phone hacking cases.

So a quick thread of the issues (and if you're a broadcaster who needs someone to do a turn explaining this, DM.)

Comments

vickidiamond.bsky.social•37 days ago

📌

hoojo.bsky.social•37 days ago

On a less local note, we could add exploding pagers, X & tik token bans, to that. It's common theme is that all are in effect phone hacking scandals of some sort or another .
A battle for the narrative & for control.

wright60377824.bsky.social•36 days ago

Please continue to report on this case. It is significant globally and unfortunately, we can’t count on many in the mainstream media to report on it fairly!

traceytaylor.bsky.social•37 days ago

📌

stillhear.bsky.social•37 days ago

📌

jackiesimm.bsky.social•35 days ago

📌

madeleinemaste.bsky.social•37 days ago

Money rules ok - had to wait for either someone with principles and integrity more important than pound notes or, difficult to find these days, someone with enough money to take Murdoch on. Or both. ⚖️

shynews1.bsky.social•37 days ago

📌

jakalasaari.bsky.social•37 days ago

I look forward to your reporting on this. Thank you!

justtogetarep.bsky.social•37 days ago

📌

leebeaux.bsky.social•37 days ago

Please keep us in the loop. 🙏🏾 There's a lot of international interest in this case, and your expertise is greatly appreciated.

jim.londoncentric.media•37 days ago

1) This is The Sun's first proper day in court. Harry (and Tom Watson) are suing Rupert Murdoch's News Group Newspapers, which also owns the News of the World. Until now, Murdoch's spent enormous sums and decades keeping the Sun (and its then-editor Rebekah Brooks) out of any damning legal rulings.

jim.londoncentric.media•37 days ago

2) It's not really a phone hacking case, which is comparatively simple to prove as there's usually phone records. Harry was stopped from bringing that bit of his case. Instead, it's all about the use of other illegal information gathering, some by private investigators, to dig up dirt on Harry.

hern.bsky.social•37 days ago

Why was he stopped

jim.londoncentric.media•37 days ago

Seven year limit on civil cases; judge concluded he had reasonable suspicion earlier than Harry claimed so the clock started ticking a long time ago.

hern.bsky.social•37 days ago

Bah

jim.londoncentric.media•37 days ago

3) Then there's the issue of the mass deletion of internal emails back in 2011, whether this was illegal, and whether Murdoch's execs (hello Washington Post's Will Lewis, Brooks, etc) were involved.

jim.londoncentric.media•37 days ago

If you're wondering why it's taken two decades to get the Sun in court, it's simple: Murdoch just kept paying larger and larger sums to anyone who got close to an actual trial. And the purported victims couldn't afford to turn down the money. I explained it here: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2024/apr/17/why-has-hugh-grant-settled-his-phone-hacking-claim-against-the-sun

peterwelsh68.bsky.social•37 days ago

Logan Roy of the Rovers stuff.

Rancid.

giffordhead.co.uk•37 days ago

Hugh Grant discussing Part 36 Offers was a high point of the law of civil procedure which I doubt we'll ever see again...

jim.londoncentric.media•37 days ago

Essentially, Harry and Tom Watson are so hellbent on having their day in court that they are taking on an enormous financial risk in a bid to get both vindication for themselves and a ruling that the Sun was involved in illegal activity, to break the idea it was just the News of the World..