Duke loses bid to name Murdoch in legal action against The Sun’s publishers

CLAIMS made against Rupert Murdoch by several individuals, including the Duke of Sussex, as part of legal action against the publisher of The Sun over allegations of unlawful information gathering cannot be tested at trial, a High Court judge has ruled.

Barristers representing various individuals suing the company over allegations of unlawful information gathering claimed earlier this year that Mr Murdoch knew of unlawful activity as early as 2004 but “turned a blind eye” to the accusations while overseeing a “culture of impunity” at the publisher.

They asked the court to update parts of their case after the release of further information and to change parts of the Duke’s claim to include allegations that NGN unlawfully gathered private information on the 39-year-old from the age of nine.

NGN denies the accusations, with its lawyers previously telling the court that the new claims were a “scurrilous and cynical attack”.

Yesterday, Mr Justice Fancourt ruled the new claims against “trophy targets” such as Mr Murdoch could not be taken to a trial scheduled for January next year, stating they added “nothing material”, but said some other amendments could be made, including some concerning other senior NGN executives.

He said: “I also consider that there is a desire on the part of those running the litigation on the claimants’ side to shoot at ‘trophy’ targets, whether those are political issues or high-profile individuals.

“This cannot become an end in itself: it only matters to the court so far as it is material and proportionate to the resolution of the individual causes of action. The trial is not an inquiry.” He continued: “The claimants have sought to introduce a vast quantity of new allegations and material, much of which is likely to be highly contentious, and there is no prospect of the time listed for trial accommodating these allegations.”