Lawyer wraps up Prince Harry's phone hacking case by grilling ex-tabloid reporter
LONDON -
A lawyer for Prince Harry finished setting out the royal's case against a newspaper publisher on Thursday, quizzing a former tabloid reporter about information inserted into stories by then-editor Piers Morgan.
On the final day of evidence, attorney David Sherborne grilled former Daily Mirror royal correspondent Jane Kerr, whose byline appears on several of the 33 articles cited by Harry as examples of unlawful intrusion by publisher Mirror Group Newspapers.
The lawyer suggested to Kerr that some of the information in her stories came from phone hacking.
"It absolutely didn't," Kerr said with a touch of anger.
"I've never intercepted a voicemail. I wouldn't even know how," Kerr added. She also denied knowing about lawbreaking by any freelance journalists or private investigators employed by the newspaper.
Kerr acknowledged in her written witness statement that Morgan, who edited the Daily Mirror between 1995 and 2004, "would occasionally direct or inject information into a story" without her knowing the source.
Asked by Sherborne about quotes in one story, she said: "I can't say for sure where I got them from, because I can't remember. It's possible Piers gave them to me."
Morgan has denied knowing about phone hacking at the Mirror, and the company is contesting Harry's claims. Mirror Group has previously paid more than 100 million pounds (US$125 million) to settle hundreds of unlawful information-gathering claims, and printed an apology to phone hacking victims in 2015.
Harry, who flew from his home in California to testify earlier in the week, was not at the High Court on Thursday. He spent a day and a half in the witness box on Tuesday and Wednesday answering questions about his claim that British tabloids had unlawfully snooped on his life throughout his childhood and young adulthood.
He alleges that the Mirror newspapers hacked phones, bugged vehicles and used other illicit methods to obtain personal information they splashed as royal scoops. He said the intrusion poisoned relations with friends, teachers and girlfriends -- and even caused friction with brother Prince William -- and led to "bouts of depression and paranoia."
Mirror Group Newspapers has apologized for one instance in which it hired a private investigator to dig up dirt on Harry, which was not among the claims he has brought. It either denies or does not admit his claims.
Harry, 38, is one of four claimants whose lawsuits against Mirror Group Newspapers are being heard together at the High Court in London. Hearings are due to last until the end of June, with the judge, Timothy Fancourt, likely to deliver his ruling several weeks later.
Harry left royal life in 2020, citing unbearable media scrutiny and alleged racism toward his wife, Meghan, and is on a mission to reform the British media. He is also suing two other newspaper publishers over alleged hacking.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What do Indigenous Peoples across Canada really need and want?
The federal Liberal government has made a lot of promises to Indigenous Peoples. But do those promises line up with what communities on the ground really want and need, or reflect their diversity?
Toronto family shocked they have to rip out $20K synthetic grass putting green
A Scarborough family said they were shocked to get a notice from the City of Toronto that the artificial grass in their backyard, including a putting green, will have to be ripped out.
Walking just this much more per day can lower your blood pressure: study
A new study finds walking an additional 3,000 steps per day can significantly reduce high blood pressure in older adults with hypertension.
Here's how a U.S. government shutdown could impact Canadians
Economists warn both Canada's economy and individual Canadians could suffer from impacts of a U.S. government shutdown, and that those impacts will deepen and broaden the longer it lasts.
India's foreign minister says Canada has 'climate of violence' for Indian diplomats
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Friday there was a 'climate of violence' and an 'atmosphere of intimidation' against Indian diplomats in Canada, where the presence of Sikh separatist groups has frustrated New Delhi.
Defence minister insists $1B spending reduction is not a budget cut
The country's top soldier and outside experts say that finding almost $1 billion in savings in the Department of National Defence budget will affect the Armed Forces' capabilities, although the defence minister insisted Friday the budget is not being cut.
Bail bondsman charged alongside Trump in Georgia becomes the first defendant to take a plea deal
A bail bondsman charged alongside former President Donald Trump and 17 others in the Georgia election interference case pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges on Friday, becoming the first defendant to accept a plea deal with prosecutors.
Last living suspect in 1996 drive-by shooting of Tupac Shakur indicted in Las Vegas on murder charge
A man who prosecutors say ordered the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur was arrested and charged with murder Friday in a long-awaited breakthrough in one of hip-hop's most enduring mysteries.
Tragedy in real time: The Armenian exodus from Nagorno-Karabakh
For the past five days, vehicles laden with refugees have poured into Armenia, fleeing from the crumbling enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in neighbouring Azerbaijan. In a special report for CTVNews.ca, journalist Neil Hauer recounts what it's like on the ground in Armenia.
Canada
-
What do Indigenous Peoples across Canada really need and want?
The federal Liberal government has made a lot of promises to Indigenous Peoples. But do those promises line up with what communities on the ground really want and need, or reflect their diversity?
-
WATCHWATCH Canada likely in 'rounding error recession,' more trouble looming: economist
Statistics Canada has released new data about how the economy started off the third quarter, saying the country's GDP remains essentially unchanged. One economist says it highlights an ongoing trend of weak performance.
-
'We are sorry': Newfoundland and Labrador makes first apology for residential schools
Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey made a solemn apology today to survivors of residential schools in southern Labrador.
-
India's foreign minister says Canada has 'climate of violence' for Indian diplomats
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Friday there was a 'climate of violence' and an 'atmosphere of intimidation' against Indian diplomats in Canada, where the presence of Sikh separatist groups has frustrated New Delhi.
-
From vehicle brakes to smart plugs: These were the major recalls in Canada this week
This week the government of Canada issued recalls and safety alerts for a series of vehicle components and consumer products. With dangers ranging from short circuit fire risks to electric shock hazards, here are some recalls the country has seen this week.
-
Saudi Arabia resumes flights to Canada as relations normalize after 2018 spat
Saudi Arabia's national airline is resuming flights to Canada after a five-year diplomatic spat.
World
-
Bail bondsman charged alongside Trump in Georgia becomes the first defendant to take a plea deal
A bail bondsman charged alongside former President Donald Trump and 17 others in the Georgia election interference case pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges on Friday, becoming the first defendant to accept a plea deal with prosecutors.
-
Man deliberately drives into a home and crashes into a police station in New Jersey, police say
A New Jersey man deliberately drove his SUV into a home and the offices of a municipal police department last week, authorities announced Friday.
-
Fire destroys Jamie Wyeth paintings, damages historic buildings, in Maine
A fire destroyed several waterfront buildings in Maine, including an art gallery with several paintings by Jamie Wyeth and an illustration by his grandfather, N.C. Wyeth., the building's owner said Friday.
-
Powerball jackpot nears $1 billion after long drought of winners
Another Powerball drawing Saturday night, another chance at a jackpot that is inching toward $1 billion.
-
Judges maintain bans on gender-affirming care for youth in Tennessee and Kentucky
Tennessee and Kentucky can continue to ban gender-affirming care for young transgender people while legal challenges against those state laws proceed, federal appeals judges ruled.
-
Baltimore Archdiocese says it will file for bankruptcy before new law on abuse lawsuits takes effect
The Archdiocese of Baltimore announced Friday it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization days before a new state law goes into effect removing the statute of limitations on child sex abuse charges and allowing victims to sue their abusers decades after the fact.
Politics
-
Defence minister insists $1B spending reduction is not a budget cut
The country's top soldier and outside experts say that finding almost $1 billion in savings in the Department of National Defence budget will affect the Armed Forces' capabilities, although the defence minister insisted Friday the budget is not being cut.
-
CRTC sets threshold for online streaming services subject to Bill C-11
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has set a threshold that determines which online streaming services will be subject to new rules arising from the Online Streaming Act, formerly known as Bill C-11.
-
Blinken on Canada-India rift: 'Those responsible must be held accountable'
America's top diplomat is again urging India and Canada to work together on bringing Hardeep Singh Nijjar's killers to justice -- and hopefully forestall a deepening of a serious geopolitical rift between two important allies.
Health
-
Walking just this much more per day can lower your blood pressure: study
A new study finds walking an additional 3,000 steps per day can significantly reduce high blood pressure in older adults with hypertension.
-
Food insecurity among Indigenous kids is a 'public health crisis,' doctors say
Rising food prices have put 'an even bigger burden on families who were struggling before,' said the doctor, who is a member of Lax Kw'alaams First Nation on her father's side and Metis on her mother's side.
-
Some hospitals are bringing back masking - and the general public should consider it this fall too, experts say
Some hospitals are instigating stricter masking rules again amid an uptick in COVID-19 cases, and although we’ve probably seen the end of broad masking mandates, some experts say the general public should also be making more use of this tool in our arsenal of measures to fight illness.
Sci-Tech
-
Scientists have observed antimatter free-falling due to gravity for the first time
For the first time, an international team of scientists have directly observed that antimatter – the mysterious counterpart to ordinary matter – free-falls under gravity, answering a question which has been the subject of endless speculation among the scientific community.
-
Man arrested in killing of Baltimore tech entrepreneur Pava LaPere was released from prison in 2022
The man arrested Thursday in the killing of a Baltimore tech entrepreneur was released from prison last year after serving a shortened sentence for a 2013 rape and was suspected in another rape days before the slaying last week, police said.
-
Endangered red wolf can make it in the wild, but not without `significant' help, study says
The endangered red wolf can survive in the wild, but only with "significant additional management intervention," according to a long-awaited population viability analysis released Friday.
Entertainment
-
As China censors homegrown feminism, a feminist scholar from Japan is on its bestseller lists
In the last few years, China's government has promoted increasingly conservative social values, encouraging women to focus on raising children. It has cracked down on civil society movements and made laws to drive out foreign influence.
-
Thriving NFL benefits most from Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce relationship
The NFL didn't need a popularity boost before Travis Kelce became enchanted with Taylor Swift. They'll gladly welcome millions of Swifties to watch this love story unfold.
-
Thirteen legendary rock acts inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame
Thirteen Canadian rock bands of the 1970s and 1980s rolled back the clock on Thursday as they were inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame with a night chock full of good memories and even greater radio hits.
Business
-
Here's how a U.S. government shutdown could impact Canadians
Economists warn both Canada's economy and individual Canadians could suffer from impacts of a U.S. government shutdown, and that those impacts will deepen and broaden the longer it lasts.
-
Suspect in killing of Baltimore tech entrepreneur held without bail
The man accused of killing Baltimore tech entrepreneur Pava LaPere last week and committing a rape and arson days earlier will be held without bail pending trial in those cases, a judge ruled Friday.
-
B.C. tech holding company Tiny buys majority stake in film review platform Letterboxd
Tech holding company Tiny Ltd. says it's buying a majority stake in movie review platform Letterboxd. Victoria, B.C.-based Tiny has not shared what it will pay for the 60 per cent stake it will take in the film diary and rating website.
Lifestyle
-
Young Ukrainian hockey players finally get their day in a Quebec classroom
It's been a long wait, but six Ukrainian students who arrived in Quebec City to start school last month are finally in a classroom. The teenagers have been waiting for the education ministry to issue their eligibility certificates so they can study in English as they requested.
-
These are Canada's most popular baby names
Looking for baby name inspiration? A recent list of the top 20 baby names in 2022 may help with your search.
-
Millions take to China's railways, roads, air in 1st big autumn holiday since end of zero-COVID
Many millions of Chinese tourists are expected to travel within their country, splurging on hotels, tours, attractions and meals in a boost to the economy during the 8-day autumn holiday period that began Friday.
Sports
-
Here is how the Blue Jays can clinch a playoff spot tonight
The Toronto Blue Jays could clinch a playoff spot for the second straight season as soon as tonight.
-
NBA suspends Canada’s Joshua Primo for 4 games for exposing himself to women
The NBA suspended former San Antonio Spurs guard Joshua Primo on Friday for four games without pay for conduct detrimental to the league.
-
Young Ukrainian hockey players finally get their day in a Quebec classroom
It's been a long wait, but six Ukrainian students who arrived in Quebec City to start school last month are finally in a classroom. The teenagers have been waiting for the education ministry to issue their eligibility certificates so they can study in English as they requested.
Autos
-
Unifor sets Oct. 9 deadline for contract talks with General Motors
Unifor has set a deadline for its contract talks with General Motors for 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 9.
-
From vehicle brakes to smart plugs: These were the major recalls in Canada this week
This week the government of Canada issued recalls and safety alerts for a series of vehicle components and consumer products. With dangers ranging from short circuit fire risks to electric shock hazards, here are some recalls the country has seen this week.
-
Hyundai, Kia recall over 600,000 cars in Canada, drivers told to park away from buildings due to fire risk
Hyundai and Kia have issued a recall for several vehicle models and are urging drivers to park away from buildings due to the risk that the issue could start a fire.
