Three Known People Gets Payout Due to Phone Hacking
After Sara Payne, it was Jude Law and Lord Prescott’s turn to be given payouts by the News of the World after their phones have been hacked.
Jude Law, whose phone was repeatedly hacked between 2003 and 2006, received the highest amount of payout amounting to £130,000 or about $200,000, while Lord Prescott received a £40,000 payout.
Sara Payne was reported to have received payouts of undisclosed amount due to phone hacking. Payne is the mother of Sarah Russell, the 8 year old girl who was murdered in the year 2000.
Jude Law
Even though News International has apologized in court, they have later released that their senior staff had nothing to do with the phone hacking.
Law had started suspecting that his phone was being hacked when details of his private life started coming out in the public. Even hi ex-wife was hacked and have also received a payout of £50,000.
Law even said that even after he had his whole house swept up for bugs and have changed his phone, there were still information coming out in the press. His annoyance actually went to the point of him being distrustful of even the people who are close to him.
Law’s personal information came about in a total of 16 published articles. His personal assistant and his PR consultant also both received payouts.
Ashley Cole
There are more people who have received payouts like; Footballer Ashley Cole (undisclosed amount), Gavin Henson and Guy Pelly (£40,000).
Guy Pelly related in his statement that he tried calling his phone through voicemail and it came back engaged.
With the increase of cases being reported – some of which have been recently settled – lawyers reported that most of these cases are now being settled out of courts.
The settlements have been viewed by many as the News International’s way of admitting surrender since they have no intention of putting their editors and journalists on the witness stand.
