High Court hears accusations that Rupert Murdoch ignored phone hacking at NGN

In a recent hearing at the High Court, it was alleged that media mogul Rupert Murdoch turned a blind eye to allegations of phone hacking at News Group Newspapers (NGN), the publisher of the defunct News of the World. The court was told that Mr. Murdoch and other senior company figures made dishonest statements about the extent of phone hacking at the paper, with claims that the NGN’s publications, including The Sun, unlawfully gathered information through private investigators. The trial involving 45 individuals is set to take place in January.

The individuals suing NGN are seeking to update their case with new information, but the publisher is resisting the application, claiming that the proposed changes are unnecessary and undesirable. It has been suggested that Mr. Murdoch, as the executive chairman of News Corp and a director of NGN’s parent company News UK, would have known about phone hacking as early as 2004 and was aware of the extent of wrongdoing at NGN. Allegations have also been made about the involvement of senior NGN executives, such as Rebekah Brooks and Will Lewis, in deleting emails and silencing individuals to avoid further police investigations.

The individuals bringing legal action have accused NGN of concealing evidence of unlawful activities at both News of the World and The Sun. It is claimed that the publisher engaged in unlawful information gathering, including using private investigators against high-profile figures and interfering with the Leveson Inquiry into phone hacking. The court was told that NGN knew about ongoing illegal activities during the inquiry and sought to cover up the true nature and extent of wrongdoing. Mr. Murdoch is said to have overseen a culture of impunity at the publisher, remaining unchastened by police investigations.

NGN’s lawyers have refuted the allegations made against Mr. Murdoch, suggesting that there is no proper basis for the claims and the proposed amendments are merely designed to grab headlines. They argue that the allegations are politically-fueled and do not serve the court’s function of determining individual claims for compensation for misuse of private information. NGN has previously issued an unreserved apology to victims of phone hacking and has been paying damages to those affected by wrongdoing. The publisher maintains that it has settled cases where there were commercial reasons without accepting liability.

Despite the ongoing legal battle, NGN continues to deny the allegations of phone hacking and unlawful information gathering at its publications. The publisher insists that the proposed amendments to the claims are irrelevant to seeking compensation for victims and should be viewed with caution. The court is expected to conclude the hearing soon, with a ruling on whether the claims can be updated to be made at a later date. The case involving Mr. Murdoch’s alleged knowledge and involvement in phone hacking at NGN is indicative of the widespread scandal that led to the closure of News of the World and subsequent legal actions against the publisher.