Hacking case: Stories about Coronation Street star Michael Le Vell were ‘complete violation’ of privacy, court told
The High Court has been told a story about a Coronation Street star printed by the publisher of the Mirror made him “feel sick”, and that this and other articles about him were a “complete violation” of privacy.
Michael Turner, 58, who is known professionally as Michael Le Vell and has played Kevin Webster in the soap since 1983, alleges that titles run by Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) published “highly private details” about his life after allegedly targeting him with unlawful activity for years.
The actor himself is yet to give evidence – he is expected to do so in court on Monday – but his lawyer David Sherborne has outlined his case, which concerns 28 articles published between 1991 and 2001.
They cover a range of stories, including a burglary at his home, the impending birth of his daughter, and his 2011 arrest for suspected rape – which he was cleared of.
Latest day of hacking trial – as it happened
Prince Harry gave evidence in court earlier in June
Previously, the court heard he was accused by fellow Coronation Street cast members of being “a mole” because of stories appearing in the press, due to his position as a trade union representative.
Mr Turner is among a number of individuals suing MGN – publisher of the Daily and Sunday Mirror and the Sunday People – including Prince Harry and former Coronation Street and now Hollyoaks star Nikki Sanderson.
They allege journalists were linked to phone hacking, so-called “blagging” or gaining information by deception and the use of private investigators for unlawful activities.
MGN denies Mr Turner’s claim, arguing there is “no evidence” of voicemail interception or unlawful information gathering relating to him.
Stories quoted ‘spies’ and ‘insiders’
The actor’s lawyers say private information appeared in newspapers “for which there was no legitimate explanation as to how it had been obtained, but at the time he wrongly suspected those close to him”.
Addressing the court on Thursday, Mr Sherborne said the stories put forward in Mr Turner’s claim included quotes attributed to “a Street source”, “pals”, a “Corrie mole”, “spies”, and “insiders”.
The October 1996 Sunday Mirror story headlined “Street star’s safe house”, about the actor moving after a burglary, “contains highly private details about the burglary that occurred at Mr Turner’s family home” as well as details of the “financial assistance” he received from a niece “to buy a new house”, Mr Sherborne said.
A story published in October 2011 covering Mr Turner’s arrest on suspicion of a sexual offence, something he was later acquitted of, quoted a “pal” commenting on what the actor had allegedly said, the court was told.
This was “incredibly upsetting” and Mr Turner “was blaming every Tom, Dick and Harry” for apparently leaking information, Mr Sherborne said.
Hollyoaks and former Coronation Street star Nikki Sanderson is also among the claimants. Pic: Tayfun Salci/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
The barrister added: “We say it bears all the hallmarks of unlawful information gathering.”
The “intrusion” made Mr Turner “feel sick” and his “blood boil”, Mr Sherborne said.
Richard Munden, representing MGN, argued that Mr Turner’s case is “particularly weak”, saying some articles in his claim were published before phone hacking started or when it had “significantly dropped off”.
In written arguments, the publisher’s lawyers said call data evidence relating to the case is “a wholly inadequate basis on which to seek an inference of (voicemail interception) of the claimant”.
‘Westlife gig story came from Westlife star’
On Thursday, the court also heard evidence from freelance journalist Paul Martin, a former Irish Sunday Mirror showbiz editor, whose byline appears on one of the articles Mr Turner has complained about – a story about Mr Turner and some of his co-stars being refused admission to a Westlife concert.
Mr Martin said he had “never hacked a phone in his life” and that it “wasn’t the culture in Ireland”.
In his witness statement, he said that information for the story actually came from Westlife lead singer Shane Filan – who had heard the “gossip” from the band’s head of security.
Mr Sherborne also questioned Mr Martin about the Irish Sunday Mirror’s publication of private letters of Gerry Ryan, the late Irish broadcaster. Mr Ryan was found dead at his home in 2010 with cocaine in his system.
The decision to publish his letters proved Mr Martin and his colleagues were “prepared to do things like voicemail interception and blagging”, Mr Sherborne argued – but Mr Martin denied this.
The trial before Mr Justice Fancourt is due to resume on Monday and conclude at the end of June, with a ruling expected at a later date.
A woman who saw a man falling from an upper tier at Wembley Stadium says a similar incident at an Oasis concert over the weekend in which a fan died makes her wonder whether lessons have been learned.
Stephanie Good, 39, said a man fell during a Euro 2020 match between England and Croatia at Wembley in June 2021.
He landed “right next to where we were” on the “stairwell between rows of seats”, she said.
Named as Jon, he reportedly survived but suffered two broken ankles, a fractured femur and fractured pelvis just before kick-off.
Ms Good said she tried to give feedback but was unable to and felt the “emergency response was really lacking”.
Oasis, meanwhile, said they were “shocked and saddened to hear of the tragic death of a fan” at their Wembley concert on Saturday.
The man reportedly fell from the stadium’s upper tier.
In his 40s, he was found with “injuries consistent with a fall” and pronounced dead at the scene, the Met Police said.
Ms Good, an NHS manager from east London, said what happened at the Oasis gig was “so similar” to what she witnessed that it made her wonder “were lessons learned”?
Liam and Noel Gallagher on stage for the first Wembley night of the Oasis reunion tour. Pic: Lewis Evans
During that incident, among stadium staff “nobody seemed to know what to do”, she told the Press Association.
She thinks the man may have been trying to attach a flag to the front of a stand and “somehow managed to fall straight over”.
She said: “They (staff) didn’t seem well-trained in terms of how to respond to a really big emergency.
“Their stewards were kind of paralysed a little bit by fear, or they just weren’t well trained and didn’t know how to call for paramedics.
“It was us who were sort of shouting at them that they needed to get some paramedics.
“The first person on the scene wasn’t a stadium paramedic or St John Ambulance. It was an off-duty firefighter who had seen the guy fall and ran down to just try and offer some help.”
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Regarding the follow-up, Ms Good said staff moved spectators to other seats but did not ask for witness statements.
She added: “They didn’t seek any input from people who’d seen the incident or the aftermath of it. They didn’t seem interested in speaking to anybody about it.
“I was a bit concerned, because I felt that the emergency response was really lacking.”
She then tried to get in touch to give feedback, but was unable to do so and did not receive a response to a message on social media, she said.
A Wembley spokesperson said: “Wembley Stadium operates to a very high health and safety standard, fully meeting legal requirements for the safety of spectators and staff, and is certified to and compliant with the ISO 45001 standard.
“We work very closely and collaboratively with all relevant event delivery stakeholders – including event owners, local authorities, the Sports Grounds Safety Authority and the police – to deliver events to high standards of safety, security and service for everyone attending or working in the venue.”
Sean “Diddy” Combs has been denied bail ahead of his sentencing on prostitution-related charges.
Judge Arun Subramanian said the hip-hop mogul had failed to show sufficient evidence he is not a flight risk and also cited admissions of previous violence made during his trial.
Combs, 55, has been in prison since his arrest in September last year.
During a two-month trial, jurors heard allegations that he had coerced former girlfriends, including singer and model Cassie Ventura, into having drug-fuelled sex marathons with male sex workers, while he watched and filmed them.
Diddy fell to his knees after the verdict was delivered last month. Pic: Reuters/ Jane Rosenberg
In July, he was found guilty of two counts of transportation for prostitution – but cleared of more serious charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex-trafficking, which carried potential life sentences.
The rapper’s legal team hailed this a “victory” and immediately applied for bail ahead of sentencing, citing his acquittal on the top charges.
After this was denied, they submitted another application last week. Judge Subramanian has now rejected the request again.
In denying the motion for bail, the judge found Combs had failed to show sufficient evidence to counter arguments he is a flight risk, writing in a court filing: “Increasing the amount of the bond or devising additional conditions doesn’t change the calculus given the circumstances and heavy burden of proof that Combs bears.”
Read more:
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Judge Arun Subramanian heard Diddy’s trial and will also sentence the rapper
He also found that an argument by the music star’s legal team that the squalor and danger of the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), where he is being held, did not warrant release.
“The public outcry concerning these conditions has come from all corners,” the judge wrote. “But as Combs acknowledges, MDC staff has been able to keep him safe and attend to his needs, even during an incident of threatened violence from an inmate.”
As well as Combs’s bail application, his legal team has also filed a motion calling for him to be acquitted or given a new trial on the prostitution-related charges only.
The judge has not yet responded to this application.
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How the Diddy trial unfolded
How long could Diddy be jailed for?
Combs is due to be sentenced on 3 October and could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.
Discussions on sentencing guidelines which followed the jury’s verdict suggest it is unlikely he will be jailed for this long, with an estimate of around two to five years, taking into account time already served.
However, it is ultimately up to Judge Arun Subramanian to decide the rapper’s punishment.
On Friday, Donald Trump was asked during an interview about a potential pardon for Combs following speculation about the issue.
The president said it was unlikely, adding that the rapper was “very hostile” during his presidential campaign.
Combs, who co-founded Bad Boy Records and launched the career of the late Notorious BIG, was for decades a huge figure in pop culture – a Grammy-winning hip-hop artist and business entrepreneur, who presided over an empire ranging from fashion to reality TV.
As well as the criminal conviction, he is also facing several civil lawsuits.
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