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The mother of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence was effectively “gaslit” by the Daily Mail, the High Court has been told – as Prince Harry made a brief appearance for the end of the privacy hearing.

Baroness Doreen Lawrence is one of a number of high-profile individuals, including the Duke of Sussex, accusing the newspaper’s publishers Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) of concealing “wrongdoing” over the alleged unlawful gathering of their private information.

ANL vehemently denies the claims and has argued for the case to be dismissed. A four-day preliminary hearing has now concluded, with the judge to deliver a decision on whether the case should go to trial in writing at a later date.

The Duke of Sussex leaving the Royal Courts Of Justice, central London, following a hearing over allegations of unlawful information gathering brought against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) by seven people - the Duke of Sussex, Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Sir Elton John, David Furnish, Liz Hurley, Sadie Frost and Sir Simon Hughes. Picture date: Thursday March 30, 2023.
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Prince Harry made a brief appearance on Thursday

During Thursday’s session, barrister David Sherborne, representing the claimant group – which also includes Sir Elton John, Liz Hurley, Sadie Frost and former Liberal Democrat MP Sir Simon Hughes – said they had a “compelling case”.

It is alleged ANL commissioned 19 different private investigators to carry out a series of unlawful acts from 1993 to 2011 and beyond, which in some instances informed articles, Mr Sherborne said.

The group was “thrown off the scent by the way in which the articles were written”, the court heard.

Mr Sherborne later read out extracts from Baroness Lawrence’s witness statement, in which she said she felt “played for a fool” by the Daily Mail, believing the newspaper “really cared” about the injustice of the murder of her son Stephen.

“They were supposed to be our allies and friends, the good people, not the bad,” she said. Baroness Lawrence said she had believed information in articles about her had come from the police.

Mr Sherborne told the court: “That is nothing short of gaslighting Baroness Lawrence, that’s the form of concealment we are talking about.”

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David Furnish leaves the Royal Courts Of Justice, central London, following a hearing claim over allegations of unlawful information gathering brought against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) by seven people - the Duke of Sussex, Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Sir Elton John, David Furnish, Liz Hurley, Sadie Frost and Sir Simon Hughes. Picture date: Thursday March 30, 2023.
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Sir Elton John’s husband David Furnish was in court for the final day

The term gaslighting means to manipulate someone into questioning their own sanity or powers of reasoning.

Known as a campaigner and reformer, Baroness Lawrence has devoted herself to seeking justice for her 18-year-old son, an aspiring architect who was murdered in an unprovoked racist attack in southeast London in 1993.

The Daily Mail, under then editor Paul Dacre, campaigned to bring Mr Lawrence’s killers to justice, running a front page in 1997 that saw the newspaper brand five suspects “Murderers” – challenging them to sue if the headline was incorrect.

Baroness Lawrence was present in court for part of Thursday’s session, as were Harry and Sir Elton’s husband David Furnish, following appearances earlier in the week from Sir Elton and Frost.

Trial could be ‘substantial’ if it does go ahead

Adrian Beltrami KC, representing the publisher, previously told the court that all the claims “are rejected by the defendant in their entirety as are the unfounded allegations that are repeatedly made that the defendant either misled the Leveson Inquiry or concealed evidence from the Leveson Inquiry”.

The lawyer said the legal action against ANL has “no real prospects of succeeding” and is “barred” under a legal period of limitation.

After hearing the final arguments in the preliminary hearing, Mr Justice Nicklin told the court he would hand down his judgment on whether the case should go to trial as soon as he can.

He indicated earlier in the session that if the case does go to trial, it could be one that lasts for a “substantial period of time”.

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After hearing Baroness Lawrence’s claims during the first day of the preliminary hearing, an ANL spokesperson said: “While the Mail’s admiration for Baroness Lawrence remains undimmed, we are profoundly saddened that she has been persuaded to bring this case.

“The Mail remains hugely proud of its pivotal role in campaigning for justice for Stephen Lawrence. Its famous “Murderers” front page triggered the Macpherson report [an inquiry into Mr Lawrence’s death].

“Associated Newspapers, which owns the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, vigorously denies all the claims against it.”

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P Diddy: Guns found at Sean Combs’ homes during federal raids, sources say

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P Diddy: Guns found at Sean Combs' homes during federal raids, sources say

Firearms have been found by federal agents searching homes belonging to rapper Sean Combs, three sources close to the matter have told Sky News’s US partner network NBC News.

The 54-year-old‘s homes in Los Angeles and Miami were raided by Homeland Security Investigations agents on 25 March, as part of an ongoing sex trafficking investigation by federal authorities in New York, the AP news agency reported.

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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ homes raided by Homeland security

Several phones were seized from Combs in Miami before he was scheduled to depart on a trip to the Bahamas, NBC News understands.

The rapper – who is also known as P Diddy and Puff Daddy – has been embroiled in a string of serious allegations in recent months.

Three women and a man were interviewed by federal officials in Manhattan in relation to the probe, according to NBC News.

It’s not yet known what kind of firearms were found or whom they belonged to.

Following the raids on his house in late March, Combs’s lawyer Aaron Dyer said there had been a “gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed”.

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“There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated,” he added.

Mr Dyer said Combs had not been arrested or had his ability to travel restricted, and neither had any of his family members.

“This unprecedented ambush – paired with an advanced, coordinated media presence – leads to a premature rush to judgement of Mr Combs and is nothing more than a witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits.

“There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations. Mr Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name.”

Multiple lawsuits

Combs has also recently faced several lawsuits accusing him of sexual misconduct and other wrongdoing.

In February, a music producer alleged Combs coerced him to solicit prostitutes and pressured him to have sex with them.

Combs’s lawyer responded by saying: “We have overwhelming, indisputable proof that his claims are complete lies”.

Cassie Ventura and Sean 'Diddy' Combs pictured together in 2015
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Cassie Ventura and Combs pictured in 2015. Pic: Reuters

The rapper’s former protege and girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie, also sued him in November alleging she was trafficked, raped, plied with drugs and beaten by Combs over a 10-year period.

Combs rejected the accusations, calling them offensive and outrageous.

The case was settled the day after it was filed.

Since then, three other women have filed lawsuits in the Southern District of New York alleging that Combs sexually assaulted them. Two said they were teenagers at the time.

Combs has denied all the allegations, calling them “sickening” and “awful”.

Combs is among the most influential hip hop producers of the past three decades, building one of hip hop’s biggest empires and founding record label Bad Boy Records in 1993 working with artists including Notorious BIG, Mary J Blige, Usher and Lil Kim.

A three-time Grammy winner, his latest album, The Love Album – Off the Grid, was nominated for best progressive R&B album at February’s Grammy Awards. He neither won nor attended.

Sky News has contacted representatives for Combs for comment.

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Louis Gossett Jr, the first black man to win an Oscar for best supporting actor, dies at 87

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Louis Gossett Jr, the first black man to win an Oscar for best supporting actor, dies at 87

Louis Gossett Jr, the first black man to win a supporting actor Oscar for his role in An Officer And A Gentleman, has died aged 87.

The actor’s family released a statement confirming that he died on Friday morning.

“It is with our heartfelt regret to confirm our beloved father passed away this morning,” the statement said.

“We would like to thank everyone for their condolences at this time. Please respect the family’s privacy during this difficult time.”

Gossett’s nephew told The Associated Press that the actor was in Santa Monica, California, at the time.

No cause of death was revealed.

Pic: Everett/Shutterstock
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Gere and Gossett in An Officer And A Gentlemen. Pic: Everett/Shutterstock


Gossett became the third black Oscar nominee in the supporting actor category in 1983.

He won for his performance as the intimidating Marine drill instructor in An Officer And A Gentleman opposite Richard Gere and Debra Winger in 1982.

He also won a Golden Globe for the same role.

“The Oscar gave me the ability of being able to choose good parts in movies like Enemy Mine, Sadat and Iron Eagle,” Gossett said in film expert, Dave Karger’s, 2024 book “50 Oscar Nights”.

He said at the time that his statue was in storage.

FILE - Louis Gossett Jr., poses with the Oscar for best supporting actor for his role in "An Officer and a Gentleman," at the annual Academy Awards presentation in Los Angeles on April 11, 1983. Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the seminal TV miniseries ...Roots,... has died. He was 87. (AP Photo, File)
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The star became the third black Oscar nominee in the supporting actor category. Pic: AP

Born on 27 May 1936, in Brooklyn, New York, Gossett later added Junior to his name to honour his father.

He first started acting in school productions and at the age of 16 made his Broadway debut in the play Take A Giant Step.

Having studied at New York University on a basketball and drama scholarship, the actor became friends with Hollywood great James Dean and studied acting alongside Marilyn Monroe, Martin Landau and Steve McQueen.

In 1959 he gained critical acclaim for his role in the Broadway production of A Raisin In The Sun, and in 1961 appeared in the film version of the same production.

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Roots , Louis Gossett Jr

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Gossett in Roots in 1977. Pic: Moviestore/Shutterstock

Gossett’s big break on the small screen was as Fiddler in the 1977 TV miniseries Roots, which depicted the atrocities of slavery.

He later won an Emmy Award for the role.

He also appeared in TV movies including The Story of Satchel Paige, Backstairs at the White House, The Josephine Baker Story – for which he won another Golden Globe – and Roots Revisited.

In 2023, he played patriarch, Ol’ Mister Johnson, in the musical remake of The Colour Purple, alongside Halle Bailey, Danielle Brooks and Colman Dolmingo.

FILE - Louis Gossett Jr. attends a Legacy of Changing Lives Gala on March 13, 2018, in Los Angeles. Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the seminal TV miniseries ...Roots,... has died. He was 87. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
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Gossett was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2010 and hospitalised with COVID in 2020. Pic: AP

Throughout his career Gossett was subject to racism, including an incident in the late 1990s, when he said he was pulled over by police while driving his restored 1986 Rolls Royce Corniche II.

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An officer told him he looked like someone they were searching for, but the officer recognised Gossett and left.

He later founded the Eracism Foundation to “help create a world where racism does not exist”, according to the foundation’s website.

In the years after his Academy win, Gossett struggled with alcohol and cocaine addiction. He went to rehab, where he was diagnosed with toxic mould syndrome – associated with prolonged exposure to mould which he attributed to his house in Malibu.

Pic: Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock
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Pic: Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock


In 2010, Gossett announced he had prostate cancer, which he said was caught in the early stages and in 2020, he went into hospital after contracting COVID-19.

The actor married three times, the third to actor Cyndi James-Reese. The pair divorced in 1992.

He is survived by his two sons – Satie, a producer and director from his second marriage, and Sharron, a chef whom he adopted after seeing the seven-year-old in a TV segment on children in desperate situations.

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Man arrested after death of Gogglebox star George Gilbey is released under investigation

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Man arrested after death of Gogglebox star George Gilbey is released under investigation

A man arrested in connection with the death of Gogglebox star George Gilbey has been released under investigation.

The man, who is in his 40s, was arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in connection with Gilbey’s death on Thursday.

The 40-year-old star reportedly died following an accident at work on Wednesday.

Essex Police said: “As part of our ongoing investigation into the death of a man in Campfield Road, Shoebury, on Wednesday 27 March, a man aged in his 40s from the Witham area was arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.

“He has now been released under investigation.

“This is a joint investigation with the Health and Safety Executive and our enquiries are ongoing.”

Police previously said they were called to an incident in Shoebury at around 10am on Wednesday after “a man who was working at height had fallen and sustained an injury”.

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Gilbey was best known for appearing on the Channel 4 show alongside his mother Linda McGarry and stepfather Pete McGarry, who died in 2021 aged 71.

George Gilbey. Pic: Shutterstock
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Reality star Gilbey. Pic: Shutterstock

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The family first appeared on the second series of Gogglebox in 2013 but were dropped the following year when the reality star signed up for the 14th series of Celebrity Big Brother in 2014, reaching the final.

Gilbey appeared on the Channel 5 version of the show alongside other famous faces including The Hills star Stephanie Pratt and American actor Gary Busey, who won the series.

The family later returned to Gogglebox and a spokesperson for the award-winning programme said: “George was part of the Gogglebox family for eight series alongside his mum Linda and stepdad Pete.

“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with Linda and George’s family and friends at this very sad time. The family has asked for privacy.”

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