By Burak Bir
LONDON (AA) - The publisher of Britain’s Daily Mirror tabloid has apologized for the “unlawful gathering of information” on Prince Harry, according to court documents.
Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) admitted that there was "some evidence of the instruction of third parties to engage in other types of UIG (unlawful information gathering) in respect of each of the claimants", according to local media reports, citing court documents released at the start of Prince Harry hacking trial.
Harry is among the several celebrity complainants in the action against Mirror Group News, The Mirror, Sunday Mirror and The People.
The Mirror reported that the publisher of the Mirror has "unreservedly" apologized to the Duke of Sussex for an instance of unlawful information gathering.
"Where historical wrongdoing has taken place we have made admissions, take full responsibility and apologise unreservedly, but we will vigorously defend against allegations of wrongdoing where our journalists acted lawfully," said a spokesperson for the group.
At the start of the trial on Wednesday, Andrew Green KC, for Mirror Group News, said voicemail interception was denied in the trial cases, including Harry's.
However, the group claimed that some arguments have been brought too late.
"MGN is now part of a very different company. We are committed to acting with integrity and our objective in this trial is to allow both the business and our journalists to move forward from events that took place many years ago," the spokesperson added.
At the hearing in London, barrister David Sherborne, for the duke and other celebrities bringing claims, said that the case featured unlawful activities on an "industrial scale carried out across three newspapers over a period of about 20 years or so."
Addressing Harry's case, Sherborne said his claim covered the period from 1995 to 2011 and it is "significant not just in terms of the span but also the range of activities."
The case is one of three major cases that Harry has been pursuing made against tabloid newspapers, all alleging unlawful information-gathering. The other cases concern the Sun, News Group Newspapers, and Daily Mail groups.