Private investigator tells High Court he left sensitive details in reports sent to Mail journalists
A private investigator has told the High Court that he included additional personal details in information he supplied to journalists while working for British newspapers, as a privacy claim brought by Prince Harry and other high-profile figures continues in London.
During his evidence, Daniel Portley-Hanks said he did not always separate what was lawful for investigators acting on legal cases from what was appropriate for media clients, and admitted he sometimes left extra details in reports because he was “too lazy” to remove them, Daily Mail reported.
Mr Portley-Hanks, 79, flew from the United States to give evidence on behalf of the Duke of Sussex and six other claimants in a case against Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday. Associated Newspapers denies claims that its journalists commissioned investigators to obtain private information unlawfully, including through phone hacking, tapping landlines and “blagging”.
The court heard Mr Portley-Hanks gave assurances to media executives that his searches were legal, including in a 2011 email in which he said databases used were either public or set up for news media purposes. Under cross-examination, he was shown journalist requests for phone numbers and addresses, but said he also supplied other data that was not asked for, including social security numbers.
The High Court trial is continuing, with further evidence expected as the claimants pursue allegations about the unlawful gathering of information and the extent of the publisher’s knowledge of investigative methods.
