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.
American actress and Wild at Heart star Diane Ladd has died aged 89.
Laura Dern, Ladd’s daughter who is also an actress, announced her mother’s death on Monday.
Ladd was a triple Academy Award nominee for her supporting roles in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose.
She also starred in 1973 film White Lightning and HBO’s Enlightened in 2011 with her daughter. Often, they played mother and daughter together.
For the 1991 drama Rambling Rose they were the first, and only, mother and daughter duo to receive Oscar nominations for the same film in the same year.
Diane Ladd pictured with daughter Laura Dern, holding her award for Enlightened in 2012. Pic: Reuters
‘She doesn’t care what anybody thinks’
Ms Dern, who starred in Jurassic Park, said of her mother in 2019: “She is just the greatest actress, ever. You don’t even use the word brave because she just shows up like that in life. She doesn’t care what anybody thinks.
“She leads with a boundarylessness.”
In 2023 they released a joint memoir together titled Honey, Baby, Mine: A Mother and Daughter Talk Life, Death, Love.
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The book was based on their conversations together during daily walks after Ladd was given only months to live, after she was diagnosed with lung disease.
Ms Dern said at the time: “The more we talked and the deeper and more complicated subjects we shared, my mother got better and better and better.
“It’s been a great gift.”
Ladd was married three times and worked into her 80s.
Culture lovers have long believed in the healing power art. Now, science has caught up, with new research showing it has measurable benefits on the body.
A study from King’s College London has found that looking at original artworks, in a gallery, doesn’t just lift us emotionally – it also has a positive impact on our physical health.
Fifty people aged between 18 and 40 were shown art by a selection of leading 19th-century artists: Toulouse-Lautrec, Manet, van Gogh and Gauguin.
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864 – 1901), Jane Avril in the Entrance to the Moulin Rouge (c. 1892)
Édouard Manet (1832 – 1883), Banks of the Seine at Argenteuil (1874)
Édouard Manet (1832 – 1883), A Bar at the Folies-Bergere (1882)
Vincent van Gogh (1853 – 1890), Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear (1889)
Paul Gauguin (1848 – 1903), Te Rerioa (The Dream) (1897)
Participants viewed five paintings for three minutes each, in a 20-minute session.
But while half viewed the original paintings in the Courtauld Gallery in London, the others looked at reproductions in a neutral setting.
Their heart rates and skin temperature were measured with research-grade digital watches to indicate levels of interest and arousal, and saliva samples were taken with swabs before and after the session to measure stress hormones.
The results in those looking at the results in the gallery were significant, and immediate: The stress hormone cortisol fell by 22% and inflammatory markers linked to health problems including heart disease, diabetes and depression were reduced by as much as 30%.
No change was observed in the reproduction group.
Dr Tony Woods, researcher at King’s College London
Dr Tony Woods of King’s College London, who was the study’s lead researcher, told Sky News: “The magnitude of the difference between being in here and looking at the real art, looking at the copies in the laboratory, the difference between the two participant groups was quite enormous.”
It’s good news for the NHS, which is increasing its use of social prescribing, which can include visits to galleries.
Dr Woods went on: “The government’s health strategy is all about prevention. And this is a gift to [Health Secretary] Wes Streeting. Art is very well worth investing in because of the return on investment – it will keep people out of hospitals.”
Over one and a half million people in the UK accessed social prescribing between September and August this year across the UK, and NHS England told Sky News their ambition is to make it available to every person in England.
Dr Woods says the next steps of the study will be to find out how long the positive effects last, and research further into the effects of art on older participants.
Russell Tovey, actor, art lover and co-host of Talk Art, chatted to Sky News about his favourite piece at the gallery – van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear (1889).
Talk Art podcast hosts Russell Tovey and Robert Diament
Tovey jokes: “Look at this painting here. It’s quite a troublesome picture, especially for me with my ears…
“But you can look at the surface and the way that he makes brushstrokes and the scale of the things and the colour he used. And you think about his life at the time and where he was living, and all those questions and answers will reveal the painting.”
Tovey adds: “Art is intrinsic to humanity,” and “shows us who we are”.
And now with the new findings, the hope is that gallery visits will be considered just as good as your ‘five-a-day’.
Tovey goes on: “It’s good for your health, it’s beneficial to your mental health and to your wellbeing to be in a museum and to be around art…
“If you eat well, go to the gym and go to a regular art gallery visit, then your health will be through the roof.”
Tovey’s podcast co-host, gallery owner Robert Diament, agrees: “I think it’s really important just to slow down a bit. Going to a museum or gallery can be part of your self-care routine… It will improve your life.”
Amid rising costs, reduced funding and dwindling visitor numbers, the findings could also provide a boost to galleries.
Jenny Waldman, Art Fund director, told Sky News: “These museums and galleries were set up in all cities and towns by people, you know, hundreds of years ago, who felt that it was good for people. So, this is the evidence, finally, that they were right.”
Jenny Waldman, Art Fund director
The national charity for museums and galleries, Art Fund champions art around the country, with initiatives including the National Art Pass which offers free or discounted entry to hundreds of museums, galleries and historic places around the UK.
So, what do gallery visitors think of the news that their time looking at art will positively impact their wellbeing?
Charlie, 10, from London said: “It makes me feel quite calm, and it draws me in.”
His dad Patrick, who had brought Charlie with his two young brothers to see the exhibition, added: “Looking at them on screens, or even in books, you just don’t get the full impression.”
Taeseok, an arts student from Amsterdam visiting the UK for the first time, said it felt good to stand and focus on just one thing, with no distractions. He summed it up: “Things around you start to not matter at all… It’s just you and the artwork.”
Re-framed as a course of treatment instead of an indulgent pastime, could the hard edge of science change the role galleries play in society?
If so, it could be a fitting reminder to the government of the true power of art, at a time when so many institutions are struggling to survive.
Thieves have stolen more than 1,000 items from a museum’s collection in California, including jewellery, carvings and Native American artefacts.
The burglary took place at an off-site storage facility holding items for the Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) on 15 October.
A neckpiece by Florence Resnikoff was also taken. Pic: Leopold Macaya/Oakland Museum of California/AP
The museum’s director said on Thursday details about the incident were being made public because the items might show up at flea markets, pawn shops and antique stores.
“The theft that occurred represents a brazen act that robs the public of our state’s cultural heritage,” said Lori Fogarty.
“They’re not just a loss to the museum. They’re a loss to the public, to our community and we’re hoping our community can help us bring them home.”
She also said she believed it was an opportunistic crime, rather than a targeted raid.
“We think the thieves found a way to enter the building, and they grabbed what they could easily find and snatch and get out of the building with,” she said.
Oakland Museum of California. Pic: Leopold Macaya/Oakland Museum of California/AP
A metal neckpiece by the late artist Florence Resnikoff, scrimshaw walrus tusks and Native American baskets were taken, with the thieves also making off with historic memorabilia like pins and sporting items.
Experts believe some items may have already been sold.
John Romero, a retired police captain, told the Los Angeles Times he expects detectives are looking at resale platforms such as Craigslist and Ebay, as well as networks specialising in historic or collectable goods.
“These people are interested in fast cash, not the full appraisal value,” he said. “They need to get rid of it quickly.”
Oakland Police Department is working with a specialist art crime unit of the FBI to track down the items.
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The OMCA’s mission is to document the art, history and natural environment of the Golden State.
Its collection carries works by famous Californian artists from the 18th century to present day.
The theft at the OMCA took place four days before the brazen jewellery heist at the Louvre museum in France.
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Suspects in Louvre robbery ‘partially confessed’
Thieves broke into the world-famous Paris museum while it was open to visitors on 19 October and made off with several Napoleonic crown jewels.
Authorities have made five arrests but the stolen items have not yet been recovered.
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