Prince Harry campaigners could bring private prosecutions against The Sun’s publisher if police don’t open fresh probe
Campaigners who supported Prince Harry through his legal battle against News Group Newspapers (NGN) aren’t ruling out the possibility that private criminal prosecutions would be filed if police don’t open fresh investigations.
On Wednesday the Duke of Sussex settled his case against NGN, the publisher of The Sun and The News Of The World, after they admitted to unlawful activities and serious intrusion into his private life.
But those who have joined his crusade against the malpractices of the tabloid papers are now compiling a dossier of evidence, gathered in the run-up to the trial, with the intention of presenting it to the Metropolitan Police.
Sky News has been told that if new investigations aren’t launched by the police, then individuals may bring private criminal prosecutions.
Emma Jones from the campaign group Hacked Off, which says it works with victims of “press abuse”, said: “It would be a shame I think if it did have to be private prosecution, this surely is a matter for government and the police… If unlawful behaviour took place and the people did that, lied under oath, not just to the public but at the Leveson Inquiry and in a court case, what does that mean? The very worse that that means is that it is perjury, a criminal offence, we’d like the police to thoroughly investigate this.”
British actor Hugh Grant, who previously settled his claim against NGN has also joined those calls, along with former deputy leader of the Labour Party Lord Tom Watson, who outside court announced that a dossier of evidence would be submitted to the Metropolitan Police.
Lord Watson brought the legal action against NGN alongside Prince Harry and made the announcement about the dossier after he also settled his claim on Wednesday.
Sky News has spoken to those putting the evidence together and has been told it may take weeks to compile due to the thousands of documents involved.
But it’s also understood it will contain information about The Sun and The News Of The World that previously the police were unable to obtain.
More on this story:
What have Prince Harry and NGN said about their settlement?
Why settlement is unlikely to be end of Harry’s personal crusade
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Prince Harry’s big settlement: What you need to know
Former Lib Dem cabinet minister Chris Huhne, who also reached a settlement with NGN in 2023 after he claimed his phone was hacked, has already written to the Metropolitan Police commissioner.
“I’ve written to Mark Rowley because I hope, I think he is genuinely trying to clean up the Met and part of that cleaning up has to be the relationship between the Met and the tabloids,” he said.
Stressing what he believes is the necessity for a new investigation, he added: “Are they going to mess up a third time?
“The Metropolitan Police have behaved appallingly, I would much prefer to see another police force deal with it because frankly the Metropolitan Police have not covered themselves in glory in this whole thing.”
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Campaigners are also calling for investigations to be launched by the Information Commissioner’s Office into the misuse of private information, the press standards organisation, and calling on parliament to look into whether journalists and executives lied under oath at the Leveson Inquiry or lied to parliamentary select committees.
On Wednesday, NGN apologised for their serious intrusion into Prince Harry’s private life but continue to strenuously deny allegations of perjury or a criminal cover up.
So far Prince Harry hasn’t spoken since his victory on Wednesday, but his perseverance has given others the ammunition to continue their fight for further accountability.
On Wednesday, after the settlement, the Met said there is no current investigation into allegations of phone hacking or related claims.
A force spokesman said: “We are aware of the outcome of the civil proceedings. It remains the case that there are no active police investigations into allegations of phone hacking or related matters. We await any correspondence from the parties involved, which we will respond to in due course.”
UK
Teenager living in ‘continuous pain’ after surgeon Dr Yaser Jabbar carried out ‘inappropriate’ operations
A 15-year-old boy who was operated on twice by a now unlicensed Great Ormond Street surgeon is living with “continuous” pain.
Finias Sandu has been told by an independent review the procedures he underwent on both his legs were “unacceptable” and “inappropriate” for his age.
The teenager from Essex was born with a condition that causes curved bones in his legs.
Aged seven, a reconstructive procedure was carried out on Finias’s left leg, lengthening the limb by 3.5cm.
A few years later, the same operation was carried out on his right leg which involved wearing an invasive and heavy metal frame for months.
He has now been told by independent experts these procedures should not have taken place and concerns have been raised over a lack of imaging being taken prior to the operations.
Yaser Jabbar rescinded his UK medical licence last year. Pic: LinkedIn
His doctor at London’s prestigious Great Ormond Street Hospital was former consultant orthopaedic surgeon Yaser Jabbar. Sky News has spoken to others he treated.
Mr Jabbar also did not arrange for updated scans or for relevant X-rays to be conducted ahead of the procedures.
The surgeries have been found to have caused Finias “harm” and left him in constant pain.
“The pain is there every day, every day I’m continuously in pain,” he told Sky News.
“It’s not something really sharp, although it does get to a certain point where it hurts quite a lot, but it’s always there. It just doesn’t leave, it’s a companion to me, just always there.”
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Finias’s surgery pictures
Care of over 700 patients being assessed
Mr Jabbar rescinded his UK medical licence in January last year after working at Great Ormond Street between 2017 and 2022.
The care of his 700-plus patients is being assessed, with some facing corrective surgery, among them Finias.
“Trusting somebody is hard to do, knowing what they have done to me physically and emotionally, you know, it’s just too much to comprehend for me,” he said.
“It wasn’t something just physically, like my leg pain and everything else. It was emotionally, because I put my trust in that specific doctor. My parents and I don’t really understand the more scientific terms, we just went by what he said.”
Doctors refused to treat Finias because of his surgeries
Finias and his family relocated to their native Romania soon after the reconstructive frame was removed from his right leg in the summer of 2021.
The pain worsened and they sought advice from doctors in Romania, who refused to treat Finias because of the impact of his surgeries.
Dozens of families seeking legal claims
His mother Cornelia Sandu is “furious” and feels her trust in the hospital has been shattered. They are now among dozens of families seeking legal claims.
Cyrus Plaza from Hudgell Solicitors is representing the family. He said: “In cases where it has been identified that harm was caused, we want to see Great Ormond Street Hospital agreeing to pay interim payments of compensation for the children, so that if they need therapy or treatment now, they can access it.”
Finias is accessing therapy and mental health support as he prepares for corrective surgery later in the year.
A spokesperson for Great Ormond Street Hospital told Sky News: “We are deeply sorry to Finias and his family, and all the patients and families who have been impacted.
“We want every patient and family who comes to our hospital to feel safe and cared for. We will always discuss concerns families may have and, where they submit claims, we will work to ensure the legal process can be resolved as quickly as possible.”
Finias with his mother and sister
Service not ‘safe for patients’
Sky News has attempted to contact Mr Jabbar.
An external review into the wider orthopaedic department at the hospital began in September 2022.
It was commissioned after the Royal College of Surgeons warned the hospital’s lower limb reconstruction service was not “safe for patients or adequate to meet demand”.
The investigation is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Sir Keir Starmer has said closer ties with the EU will be good for the UK’s jobs, bills and borders ahead of a summit where he could announce a deal with the bloc.
The government is set to host EU leaders in London on Monday as part of its efforts to “reset” relations post-Brexit.
A deal granting the UK access to a major EU defence fund could be on the table, according to reports – but disagreements over a youth mobility scheme and fishing rights could prove to be a stumbling block.
The prime minister has appeared to signal a youth mobility deal could be possible, telling The Times that while freedom of movement is a “red line”, youth mobility does not come under this.
His comment comes after Kaja Kallas, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, said on Friday work on a defence deal was progressing but “we’re not there yet”.
Sir Keir met European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen later that day while at a summit in Albania.
Ursula von der Leyen and Sir Keir had a brief meeting earlier this week. Pic: PA
If agreed, the deal will be the third in two weeks, following trade agreements with India and the US.
Sir Keir said: “First India, then the United States – in the last two weeks alone that’s jobs saved, faster growth and wages rising.
“More money in the pockets of British working people, achieved through striking deals not striking poses.
“Tomorrow, we take another step forward, with yet more benefits for the United Kingdom as the result of a strengthened partnership with the European Union.”
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Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said she is “worried” about what the PM might have negotiated.
Ms Badenoch – who has promised to rip up the deal with the EU if it breaches her red lines on Brexit – said: “Labour should have used this review of our EU trade deal to secure new wins for Britain, such as an EU-wide agreement on Brits using e-gates on the continent.
“Instead, it sounds like we’re giving away our fishing quotas, becoming a rule-taker from Brussels once again and getting free movement by the back door. This isn’t a reset, it’s a surrender.”
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