In the ongoing phone-hacking lawsuit initiated by Prince Harry, Sly Bailey, the previous Chief Executive of Trinity Mirror (now known as Mirror Group Newspapers, MGN), testified that she was kept in the dark about the illegal activities of the journalists she supervised. Trinity Mirror, the publisher behind the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror, and Sunday People, employed Bailey from 2003 to 2012.
In the High Court of London, Bailey expressed deep regret for the alleged illicit actions by the staff of the newspapers she managed. "It is pretty devastating as a chief executive, actually, to be sitting here and listening to this, and I am deeply regretful and I do apologise on behalf of the company," she conveyed. She maintained that she had no awareness of these actions during her tenure.
Prince Harry, along with over 100 other litigants, has brought charges against MGN, accusing its publications of phone-hacking and related illegal activities between 1991 and 2011, with the alleged complicity of top-ranking executives. Reach, the parent company of MGN, has categorically denied these charges.
Bailey's sworn statement indicated that "despite our robust governance systems, a number of people on the editorial side of the national titles concealed their unlawful activities from me and from other colleagues".
David Sherborne, representing Prince Harry and the other plaintiffs, challenged Bailey on her knowledge and actions regarding these allegations. Bailey reiterated that she was oblivious to specific allegations during her time as Chief Executive.
Sherborne referenced a 2006 piece where a former MGN reporter claimed that "many of the Daily Mirror's stories would come from hacking into a celebrity's voicemail". The attorney suggested that Trinity Mirror's board must have discussed these allegations. Bailey claimed she could not recall such a discussion and reminded Sherborne "I'm not a policeman" in response to queries about why the company hadn't pursued an in-depth investigation after three journalists were questioned but not charged.
The trial, expected to span seven weeks, will first focus on generic allegations against MGN before transitioning to individual claims, including those of Prince Harry and three other test cases. Prince Harry is scheduled to testify in person in early June, becoming the first British royal to do so since the 19th century.
