Former Daily Mail showbiz editor accused of using private investigators ‘who engaged in unlawful acts’
A former show business editor Daily Mail The High Court heard he used sources close to celebrities or cited publicly available information when writing articles about Sir Elton John and Liz Hurley.
Nicole Lampert was testifying on Sunday in the case filed against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), which publishes the Daily Mail and The Mail, alleging that a group of famous people had unlawfully collected information.
The publisher strongly denies the allegations and defends the lawsuit.
The lawsuit was also brought by Baroness Doreen Lawrence, the Duke of Sussex, David Furnish, Sadie Frost and Sir Simon Hughes.
The court in London heard Ms Lampert Daily Mail From 2003 to 2006 and as he was responsible for financing the division, he approved invoices for the private investigative firm Express Locate International (ELI).
Hurley’s complaints are underlined in two articles titled “Now I wish I had stayed with Hugh, only I accept Liz.”
In his witness statement, the journalist said he did not remember using ELI for the story.
He also said he was working with a freelance reporter in the United States who would keep him informed of potential interesting stories in magazines published there.
Ms Lampert added: “I also had a confidential source, who was not a journalist, at the time who gave me information about Ms Hurley.
“Because they lived in the same socialite circle and attended the same parties as Ms. Hurley and her close friends, they were able to provide reliable information about Ms. Hurley.”
Sir Elton and his husband, Mr Furnish, complained about an article Ms Lampert wrote in December 2005 about wedding expenses.
Ms Lampert said: “I think it was due to other news that the couple had entered into civil partnership, that the event was taking place in Windsor and that the local council and police were making plans to manage the expected crowds.”
He added: “Given the number of police officers involved, the £10,000 figure may be considered an ‘estimate’ of the likely cost.
“I can also see from the article that I spoke to Sir Elton John’s spokesman to get his reaction to police costs.”
Ms Lampert also said she “would not have used anyone” to assist her with the story, including private detectives she allegedly paid, “because they were public, it was a well-known couple with a journalist who could be reached for comment, and it was known where the wedding would take place”.
The court heard Frost complained about four articles published between 2003 and 2005 that featured Ms Lampert.
In her witness statement, Ms. Lampert said the information in one of the articles was either already old news or “almost certainly came from a freelance contact named Sharon Feinstein.”
He added: “Sharon had a very strong source in Sadie Frost Law’s social circle or family, and she was getting excellent information from that source, so I would often talk to her about Sadie Frost articles.
“It was always the same source and I knew who the source was and I knew they were able to provide reliable information.”
One of the articles in the lawsuit concerns Frost’s divorce from Jude Law.
Ms Lampert also told the court that although she used ELI while working at work Daily Mail, At that time, he thought that journalists could use this service as necessary.
He continued: “I have sometimes asked them to find information that, in hindsight, I thought might have led them to brag or not present themselves properly when making inquiries, such as phoning hotels to find out the whereabouts of a celebrity staying in the UK.
“But I never asked them to find financial or medical information or hack phones, and I couldn’t imagine they could, or even would, do that.”
David Sherborne, representing the group that brought the claim, said in written submissions that the article about the Frost Act divorce “contained the fruits” of illegal information gathering.
He said Ms Lampert was “another regular commissioner” of ELI and Trace Direct International (TDI) and BDI UK Consulting services.
Regarding the articles Hurley complained about, he added that Ms Lampert was a “constant user of private detectives” involved in illegal activities and was “prone” to using ELI.
The hearing before Mr Justice Nicklin will conclude in March and a written decision is expected at a later date.
