Mirror Group journalists trial ends with evidence of phone hacking and illicit information gathering

The evidence against the tabloid is stacking up.

The trial revealed that Mirror journalists pursued accurate reporting of celebrity secrets as vigorously as another journalist might investigate a corrupt politician.

However, their most precious commodity was sensitive personal information, some of it obtained illicitly from phone hacking.

In 2015, the publisher of the Mirror, Sunday Mirror, and People (now known as Reach PLC) admitted journalists used phone hacking and other unlawful methods.

The latest trial aimed to expand the legal action to more potential victims and prove that the scandal reached the top of Mirror Group, to its board and its lawyers.

The claimants attempted to make a case against Piers Morgan, the former Mirror editor, but the evidence against him was not strong enough to prove that he knew about phone hacking and blagging.

The trial of former editor of the Daily Mirror, Piers Morgan, was recently held in the UK.

The case concerned the alleged use of phone hacking and unlawful information gathering by journalists at the Mirror Group.

The Mirror Group argued that Morgan's appearance would have been unnecessary and would have only caused a distraction from the issues the judge had to decide.

The judge put Morgan at the top of a list of 29 journalists who had not come to court and could have given evidence.

The trial also revealed a network of private investigators who specialized in providing personal information to the tabloids.

The reporters of the Mirror papers regularly subcontracted the process of obtaining information to these PIs. The information obtained was then passed up the chain and presented to the reporter, allowing them to say it had been provided by "sources" and to deny knowing it had potentially been obtained unlawfully.

The trial lifted the lid on the use of private investigators and the methods used by journalists to obtain information.

Prince Harry's lawyer has accused British newspapers of using "dark arts" to obtain information about his client and his ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy.

The lawyer said that every article about Prince Harry in the newspapers had caused him distress and that he suspected friends might have leaked information.

The case involved a "blagger" trying to access the medical records of a woman who had split from a comedian, and it is alleged that the newspapers used illegal methods to obtain information.

The case may take months to be decided, and there are more than 100 potential claimants waiting for a judgement.

Actor Hugh Grant will take on the publisher of the Sun newspaper next year, and Prince Harry may join him.

The Daily Mail's publisher, Associated Newspapers, is also gearing up to fight new allegations from Elton John, Doreen Lawrence, and Prince Harry, which include the use of phone-tapping and bugs.