News International has insisted there is “no evidence” that private investigator Glenn Mulcaire hacked Sky Sports presenter Andy Gray’s voicemail on behalf of the paper.
The Financial Times was one of three newspapers to report on yesterday’s pre-trial hearing at the High Court which is part of a civil action for breach of privacy brought by comedian Steve Coogan and Gray against Mulcaire and his former employer News International.
According to the FT, the court heard that Mulcaire did call Gray’s voicemail but the calls were too short for him to intercept any messages.
Anthony Hudson, for News Group, said there was “no evidence” either Coogan or Gray’s messages were actually intercepted.
The Guardian reports that Gray has seen copies of Mulcaire’s notes which showed his voicemail had been called a dozen times from landlines registered to Mulcaire in a six-month period.
And it notes evidence from Coogan’s lawyer stating: “There is essentially a treasure trove of commercial information on his voicemail at any one time.”
Phone-hacking interactive timeline
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