As Probe Widens, Lawyer Says Celebrities Can't Prove Tabloid's Investigator Hacked Voice Mail
Two celebrities who claim their cell phone voice mail was hacked by an investigator with the U.K.’s News of the World may not be able to prove it, a lawyer for the tabloid told a London court today.
According to Bloomberg News, the plaintiffs, actor Steve Coogan and sports commentator Andy Gray, are part of a growing list of celebrities suing the newspaper, owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp., for allegedly hacking into cell phones.
“One hesitates to say that they have jumped on the bandwagon, but it has the appearance of that,” Anthony Hudson, who represents the paper, is quoted saying.
The justice hearing the case says the case would probably collapse if he accepted Hudson’s argument. Last month, Coogan won a court order to get new documents from London’s Metropolitan Police, relating to the hacking probe.
The Associated Press reports that British police have recently said they plan to contact “thousands” of people whose cell phones may have been targeted by News of the World.
