Overview
- Dan Portley-Hanks, 79, told the High Court he worked for Daily Mail titles for decades and believes he undertook unlawful tasks related to the Duke of Sussex, though he could not specify incidents.
- He described being able to obtain contact and other private details within minutes and admitted he was 'too lazy' to remove sensitive identifiers, including social security numbers, from emails to journalists.
- He alleged he was asked to channel money that was then used to pay a serving police officer for access to confidential Jeffrey Epstein files and said he helped trace a victim known as 'Virginia'.
- Associated Newspapers Limited, through counsel Antony White KC, strongly denies unlawful information gathering, argues the claimants cannot evidence alleged confessions, and says no documents support claims of police corruption.
- The judge-only trial before Mr Justice Nicklin continues into March with a written judgment to follow, and further witnesses, including Graham Johnson, are expected to give evidence.