Mail titles kept using investigator after his conviction, court hears | Associated Newspapers
A private investigator convicted of unlawfully obtaining confidential information said the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday remained his “best clients” after his conviction, the high court has heard.
Steve Whittamore, who was convicted and given parole in 2005, said that his activities for Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL), the publisher of the books, continued from 1998 to 2007.
In his written submission to the court, Whittamore said he and his network of other private investigators provided names and addresses attached to phone numbers, criminal records, “criminal” personal data collected by deception and itemized phone bills.
“After the conviction there were some people who stopped giving me instructions, but despite this some newspapers continued to use my services, including the Mail on Sunday and the Daily Mail,” he said. “They remained my best clients until April 2007, when the Daily Mail stopped using my services.
“Since I was not charged with any crime related to the phone business I was running, I continued to provide old directory numbers, cell phone conversions, detailed phone bill inquiries and complaints using some of the same subcontractors and methods I employed prior to March 2003.”
Seven plaintiffs, including Prince Harry, are suing ANL over alleged illegal collection of information. ANL denies all allegations.
Whittamore said he had “no doubt that all journalists who regularly use my services or work in newsrooms and are regular users know that the information was obtained through illegal means, such as libel.”
“The journalists who used me and the editors who approved it knew very well that I was a practitioner of the ‘dark arts’,” he said. “If the information journalists requested could be obtained legitimately, rather than through accusations or other checks, then there would be no need for newspapers to use my special services.”
He said he obtained details of the family of actor Sadie Frost, one of the plaintiffs in the case, through a subcontractor. He said the plaintiffs’ team showed him a “crime” involving Frost in 2003.
In its written submissions, ANL said it had publicly stated that the Leveson inquiry into the practices of the press had in the past “used investigative agents and that there had been cases of accusation by those investigating agents (in particular Mr Whittamore)”.
Appearing in court, Paul Dacre, the former editor of the Daily Mail, said he banned the use of private detectives in 2007.
ANL alleged that the plaintiffs’ legal team attempted to link invoices sent to private investigators to the stories complained of in the lawsuit without evidence and that the tactic amounted to “guessing.”
Journalists who reportedly used Whittamore’s services said they did so to provide legitimate assistance in finding an address or phone number and that they “did not know or suspect that Mr. Whittamore was acting illegally.”
Dacre was questioned about the evidence he gave at the Leveson inquiry, where he said it was not clear “what journalists wanted from private detectives”.
The plaintiffs’ lead attorney, David Sherborne, showed Dacre a stack of invoices. He said it was clear they were looking to find details such as criminal background checks and vehicle registrations.
Dacre said he is not interested in the invoices and cannot comment without knowing their context, the story to which they relate and the information collected. He stood by Leveson’s statement.
Tensions rose between Sherborne and the judge, Mr Justice Nicklin, during the trial. The judge warned Sherborne to stick to evidence relating to the seven plaintiffs rather than using the case as a public inquiry into alleged illegal activity at ANL.
The trial continues.
