Phone hacking claims were 'gossip' - ex-Mirror group chair

Details of alleged phone hacking and other illegal activity at Mirror group newspapers were "gossip" not supported by "evidence", a former chairman of its publisher has told the High Court.

David Grigson was giving evidence in the civil case brought by the Duke of Sussex and other high profile figures.

They allege their private information was obtained illegally by journalists at Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN).

Mr Grigson was non executive chairman of Trinity Mirror from 2012 to 2018.

He was asked about information collected by former journalist Brian Basham on alleged unlawful information gathering by MGN journalists.

As part of his earlier evidence, the trial had heard Mr Basham accuse Mr Grigson of a "cover up".

He said: "He behaved badly, the board behaved badly. He covered up and people suffered for years."

Mr Basham previously told the court he learnt about concerns journalists were using unlawful methods in 2011 or 2012 when researching Trinity Mirror to allow him to decide whether to invest in the company.

In his earlier witness statement, the court heard Mr Basham say that then company secretary Paul Vickers had been described to him as the "villain of the piece" who, with Sly Bailey who was chief executive, "orchestrated" a cover-up.

Mr Grigson said there is "no evidence to prove any sort of cover up" in the time before he joined the firm in 2012.

He was asked about a lunch meeting with Mr Basham on 3 July, 2012, when he was presented with information garnered from former journalists at the papers, allegedly showing illegality.

Mr Grigson was urged to "clear the decks" at MGN newspapers, it was claimed.

Mr Grigson told the court he was distrustful of his lunch partner's motives, suspecting he was trying to force him to give him a job.

He said he believed the "mood music" around possible wrong doing at MGN papers was becoming louder. But he said there was no "real evidence" of phone hacking at the papers, and described it as "just gossip".

At one point, under questioning from David Sherborne KC for the Duke of Sussex and the other claimants, Mr Grigson said he and the senior leadership at Trinity Mirror were "perfectly capable if we had wanted to investigate" further the allegations of phone hacking and wider illegal information gathering.

The trial continues.