US private investigator did ‘unlawful stuff’ for the Daily Mail, court hears | Associated Newspapers
A US-based private investigator bought a large house in California and saved “almost entirely” $150,000 from his work for the Daily Mail publisher, the high court has heard.
Daniel Portley-Hanks, also known as “Detective Danno”, said he received around $1 million for work carried out for the Mail on Sunday, another title published by Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL).
Giving evidence, Portley-Hanks said the broadcaster went bankrupt after it stopped using its services following the 2012 Leveson inquiry into its press practices. He said he was told he could continue working for the broadcaster only if he gave up his private detective license.
Portley-Hanks, 79, was testifying in a lawsuit brought by seven plaintiffs, including Prince Harry, who accused ANL of using illegal information gathering techniques for decades.
The other claimants are Elton John and his wife David Furnish, actors Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost, former Liberal Democrat MP Simon Hughes and Stephen Lawrence’s mother Doreen Lawrence.
Portley-Hanks said she worked for the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday from the early 1990s to 2013. Describing himself as a “database master,” he said: “All I needed was a name or phone number, and I could often find a target’s contact information and other private details within minutes.”
In court, Portley-Hanks said she did not believe anything she did was illegal “at the time”, but she now believed she was engaging in illegal activity in the UK, including the collection of personal data.
This was disputed by ANL’s legal team, which had previously stated in its press release that it had not violated the law.
ANL denies any wrongdoing by its journalists. He called the entire allegations of illegal doxxing “appalling” and “preposterous.”
Portley-Hanks claimed the publisher tried to conceal his continued use of private investigators by asking him to change his email address to appear as if he were a Hollywood reporter.
He also claimed he was once used as part of a chain to pay an off-duty police officer for documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. This was rejected by ANL.
Portley-Hanks said she thought she had done some work on John, Hurley and Prince Harry, but did not remember anything specific.
“I remember doing something for the Mail on Sunday and the Daily Mail about Prince Harry,” he said in a written submission. “I know I did illegal things to him, but I don’t remember exactly what happened.
“I also did something on Elton John. It was essentially to get contact information for him, his boyfriend, or a significant other. I know I did something about Elizabeth Hurley, but I can’t remember what it was.”
Portley-Hanks, who said he was in and out of prison as a teenager, was last imprisoned in 2017 for his role in a violent gambling group.
ANL’s legal team produced emails showing a Mail editor seeking confirmation that Portley-Hanks was acting legally. But in court, Portley-Hanks said she was also summoned at the same time and told to “accept it even though it wasn’t right”.
In its written submissions, ANL said that all its articles were secured by legal means. It was stated that “the serious allegations, which are completely rejected, are not supported by the available evidence.”
The broadcaster said some journalists named in connection with Portley-Hanks did not hear from him until after the trial. The legal team also said its “relevance” to the plaintiffs’ case was “dubious” due to a lack of evidence linking the stories about the plaintiffs.
There is uncertainty about whether an important person will testify at the hearing. Private investigator Gavin Burrows, who previously described a confession to illegal activity as a “fake”, said he was only willing to give evidence from a secret location.
David Sherborne, acting for the plaintiffs, told the court this was “highly unorthodox” and should not be allowed.
The case continues.
