News about Graham Johnson

Prince Harry (pictured) and three other prosecutors' trial in the Mirror hacking lawsuit announced today that he will carefully consider the credibility of a journalist who has been paying potential witnesses. Graham Johnson's involvement in the case as a counsel representing the claimants' lawyers was 'particularly unusual,' according to Mr Justice Fancourt. Thousands of pounds were donated to private investigators who worked for newspapers by Mr Johnson, a convicted phone hacker and "self-confessed professional liar." Andrew Green, the Mirror's Chief Editor, said today that it was 'truly extraordinary' that he had attempted to compel the investigators to appear in court by 'forking out allegedly large amounts of his own money.'

Andrew Green KC, who is defending Mirror Group Newspapers, told the judge that the activity was 'extraordinary.' Graham Johnson, a'self-confessed professional liar' who was fired from the News of the World for fabricating news, was involved in'very close cooperation' with the claimants' legal team, according to Mr Green, as well as another convicted phone hacker, Dan Evans. Both were key witnesses in the prosecution. In a separate interview, the trial judge ordered that the claimants' counsel's show me the facts' that Harry was the perpetrator of voicemail hacking. There are no evidences, according to the journal. Mr Justice Fancourt ordered Harry's barrister David Sherborne, actor Michael Turner, known professionally as Michael Le Vell, and comedian Fiona Wightman, to'show me the facts, not just claims' that the duke had been hacked, not just assertions' that the duke had been hacked.

Prince Harry's counsel admitted yesterday that he had lost count of the occasions he had been found guilty of criminal convictions. Daniel Portley-Hanks, a private investigator who is suing Mirror Group Newspapers for suspected hacking, which it denies. He told the court he had been arrested around 50 times and found 'probably more [times] than I can recall.' It was "maybe 20" [convictions] at least, resulting in about eight years in US federal jails, with his most recent arrest being for 'extortion and assaulting a criminal organisation.'

The High Court heard today that a jailed phone hacker and'self-confessed professional liar' are assisting Prince Harry and others in sue British newspapers. When Graham Johnson worked at the News of the World, he admitted that he cheated members of the public, 'ruined people's lives with surgical effects,' and had 'no honesty at all.' He told the court that he had once referred to one of his own newspaper articles as '1,500 words of b******s,' in which he had fabricated a glimpse of a phantom wild cat referred to as 'the Beast of Bodmin.' It was described as a "carefully planned piece of deception intended to deceive everybody."

According to an email referred to at the High Court yesterday, Hugh Grant (left) was "out to destroy" the Mail and reportedly sent a jailed phone hacker to gather evidence. According to the court, Graham Johnson (top right), a former News of the World reporter, had instructed him. Mr Johnson was given a two-month suspended term for hacking phones in 2014. The email appeared on day four of a preliminary hearing in which Prince Harry, Sir Elton John, Baroness Lawrence, and others are suing the Mail's publisher for reportedly illegally obtaining personal information, which it denies completely. The judge was referring to an email that referred to Mr Johnson and alleging that Mr Grant wanted to'destroy' the Mail. It was written by Christine Hart (lower right), a freelance journalist and private investigator who was accused of perpetrating illegal conduct for the newspaper.

The High Court heard complete witness statements in the case brought by Prince Harry, Baroness Lawrence, Sir Elton John, and other celebrities against Associated Newspapers today, including the statement by the private investigator who denied their charges that they are incorrect. Gavin Burrows denied that he had ever done any unlawful data gathering for the Daily Mail or Mail on Sunday.