Walliams and Clunes are handed payouts over phone-hack scandal
DAVID WALLIAMS and Martin Clunes are among a number of high-profile celebrities who have formally settled damages claims at the High Court over phone hacking against a newspaper publisher.
The Britain’s Got Talent judge and Doc Martin star have received “substantial compensation” and a public apology after bringing legal action against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), publisher of The Mirror, Sunday Mirror and The People.
Their cases were formally settled at a hearing yesterday alongside claims by actors Roxanne Pallett, Antony Cotton, Mark and Samantha Womack, Caroline Quentin and her husband Sam Farmer.
Mr Justice Mann heard Walliams allege he was targeted by MGN between 2003 and 2010 and that his friends and colleagues were also targeted to obtain private information, with 45 articles published as a result of intercepted voicemails or other unlawful techniques.
In 2018, MGN admitted liability for misuse of private information by intercepting voicemails in 2004 and other unlawful information techniques between 2004 and 2006, also admitting that two of the 45 articles were produced by unlawful information gathering.
The court heard the Little Britain star was “extremely upset” to learn about this due to his working relationship with the publishing group on projects including Pride of Britain and Comic Relief.
Roddy Chisholm Batten, representing Walliams, told the court: “Mr Walliams is also upset and angered by the lengths to which MGN went in order to invade his private life.”
In October 2020, both sides agreed to settle Walliams’s claim, with MGN admitting liability, paying substantial compensation and paying his reasonable legal costs.
Hannah Gornall, representing Clunes – whose real name is Alexander Clunes – said journalists “would have been privy to personal messages left on his phone”.
MGN said it had apologised.