Phone hacking was 'rife' at Mirror Group Newspapers

Phone hacking was "rife" at Mirror Group Newspapers' three national titles from 1999 to 2006, a court has heard.

Claimants' counsel David Sherborne told London's High Court that journalists at the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People hacked the phones of public figures on a daily basis.
Court documents say Mirror Group (MGN) has admitted obtaining 99 stories about the claimants by hacking their phones.
The court has to establish the extent of MGN's liability and set damages.
The eight claimants are TV executive Alan Yentob, soap stars Shane Richie, Shobna Gulati and Lucy Benjamin, TV producer Robert Ashworth, actress Sadie Frost, former footballer Paul Gascoigne and flight attendant Lauren Alcorn, who had a relationship with footballer Rio Ferdinand.
Mr Sherborne told the court these were "representative claims" aimed at establishing damages guidelines for subsequent cases against MGN.
The case is expected to last two weeks.