Witness Says Key Statement Was Forged in Prince Harry Lawsuit
A private investigator told the High Court in London on Monday that a crucial witness statement used by Prince Harry and other claimants in their privacy case against the publisher of the Daily Mail was not his and that his signature had been faked, raising fresh questions about a central plank of the claimants’ evidence.
Giving evidence by videolink from an undisclosed overseas location, investigator Gavin Burrows said “this statement has nothing to do with me” and insisted he had never signed the August 2021 document that claimants’ lawyers say detailed unlawful information gathering for Associated Newspapers, Reuters reported.
Prince Harry, the younger son of King Charles, and six others including Sir Elton John are suing Associated Newspapers, alleging its titles were involved in unlawful information gathering over a period dating back decades, including phone-hacking and deception. Associated, which also publishes the Mail on Sunday, denies wrongdoing and says the case is built on false claims.
In court, Mr Burrows described the lawsuit as “based on a pack of lies” and told the claimants’ lawyer Mr David Sherborne to explain to his clients “how you have been conned”. The judge granted permission for Mr Sherborne to treat Mr Burrows as a hostile witness, with Mr Sherborne accusing him of lying and suggesting his account shifted after a falling-out with journalist Mr Graham Johnson, who has written about unlawful tabloid practices.
Mr Burrows said he had no knowledge that he would be used in the litigation until early 2023, when he became “absolutely furious” that his name was being linked to the allegations. He also told the court he had never worked for, or been paid by, Associated, and said he approached the publisher because he believed one of the claimants, anti-racism campaigner Baroness Doreen Lawrence, was being deceived.
Mr Burrows is the final witness in the trial, which began in January, with closing submissions due later this month before the court considers its ruling.
