Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) paid out more than £1.2m to Paul Gascoigne, Sadie Smith and six other celebrities in the first wave of Mirror phone hacking cases.
Lawyers described the payout as “unparalleled”. MGN, which issued an apology earlier this year for intercepting voicemails but has previously denied any involvement in the scandal, has set aside £16m to deal with hacking cases. The awards ranged from £72,500 to £260,250.
Delivering his judgment, Mr Justice Mann said: “The length, degree and frequency of all this conduct explains why the sums I have awarded are so much greater than historical awards. People whose private voicemail messages were hacked so often and for so long, and had very significant parts of their private lives exposed, and then reported on, are entitled to significant compensation.”
James Heath, Atkins Thomson, lead solicitor for the claimants, says: “The high awards in these cases reflect the serious and repeated intrusions into the claimants’ privacy and the lasting impact that it has had on their lives.”
