Prince Harry court case – latest: Coronation Street star claims hair ‘set on fire’ after ‘nasty girl’ narrative

Nikki Sanderson is the latest to take the witness box after Prince Harry’s bombshell testimony earlier this week

Prince Harry arrives at High Court for battle with MGN over phone hacking

Soap actress Nikki Sanderson said her hair was set on fire by a group of girls after Mirror articles painted her as a “stuck up, nasty, party girl”.

She said in her witness statement: “People would elbow me, push me and, on one occasion, a group of girls even set my hair on fire. This particular incident happened in the toilets of a club and the group of girls had been bothering me all night.

“I had gone to the toilets on my own and I was washing my hands and I smelt burning. I looked down and they had set fire to the back of my hair. Fortunately, I wasn’t wearing any hair product, otherwise, my hair would have gone up in flames.

She added: “It’s because of this narrative created and repeated by MGN that I was stuck up, nasty, rude, promiscuous, and a party girl. It feels like character assassination.”

Meanwhile, the Duke of Sussex has landed back in Los Angeles, after a flying visit to the UK to give evidence in his High Court phone hacking case against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN).

Key Points

• Sanderson says her hair was ‘set on fire’ by girls after ‘character assassination’ by Mirror articles
• Nikki Sanderson tells court phone hacking left her in ‘constant state of paranoia'
• Prince Harry returns to US after hacking trial testimony ‘without seeing William or Charles’
• At a glance: Key moments from Prince Harry and Mirror journalist’s testimony
• Piers Morgan could have ‘injected’ information from voicemails into stories, court told

[9 June 2023 09:35 · Maryam Zakir-Hussain]

9 bombshell claims from Prince Harry in first witness box showdown

Prince Harry’s decision to become the first royal in 130 years to enter a witness box has revealed a host of claims about his life and relationship with the British press, as he gave five hours of testimony in his blockbuster trial against The Mirror publisher.

In the first day of his cross-examination, the Duke of Sussex was grilled by Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) barrister Andrew Green KC over his claims to have been the victim of illegal information-gathering such as phone hacking.

While much of the interrogation on Tuesday focused on the details of 20 out of 33 articles selected to be considered at the trial, the duke also sought to land wider blows against the “bloodstained” tabloid press, its relationship with a “rock bottom” government, and former Mirror editor Piers Morgan.

The Independent has taken a look at the key moments from his first day giving evidence:

[9 June 2023 09:19 · Maryam Zakir-Hussain]

Prince Harry returns to US after hacking trial testimony ‘without seeing William or Charles’

The Duke of Sussex has landed back in Los Angeles, after a flying visit to the UK to give evidence in his High Court phone hacking case against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN).

Prince Harry, 38, is not thought to have seen his father, the King, or his brother, the Prince of Wales, during his brief trip, despite reportedly staying at royal residence Frogmore Cottage.

Harry flew from Los Angeles to London overnight on Sunday (4 June), after spending the day celebrating his daughter Princess Lilbet’s second birthday.

This meant he missed the opening day of his claim against MGN in court, and the judge gave him a rebuke. Justice Fancourt said he was a “little surprised” that the Duke of Sussex was not in court for the first day, according to the BBC.

[9 June 2023 08:56 · Maryam Zakir-Hussain]

Nikki Sanderson: Coronation Street actor set to testify at Prince Harry’s privacy trial

Coronation Street star Nikki Sanderson is set to testify in the media trial alleging that journalists working for Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) unlawfully gathered information about her and other public figures, including Prince Harry.

The case involves 207 newspaper articles published between 1991 and 2011 – 33 of which refer to the Duke of Sussex.

Sanderson is bringing a damages claim against MGN over the alleged unlawful gathering of information, including by voicemail interception. In May, the 39-year-old told the High Court that she was “physically assaulted” in the street following “false insinuations” published in articles by MGN.

The details of the exact articles in question have yet to be disclosed.

[9 June 2023 08:24 · Maryam Zakir-Hussain]

Coronation Street actress Nikki Sanderson in court today

Actress Nikki Sanderson is due to enter the witness box at the High Court in London to give evidence in her claim against the publisher of the Mirror for alleged unlawful information gathering.

Former Coronation Street star Ms Sanderson, 39, is suing Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) for damages, claiming journalists at its titles - which also include the Sunday Mirror and Sunday People - were linked to methods including phone hacking, so-called “blagging” or gaining information by deception, and use of private investigators for unlawful activities.

Her case is one of four representative claims being heard in London, alongside similar claims brought by the Duke of Sussex, Coronation Street actor Michael Turner, known professionally as Michael Le Vell, and comedian Paul Whitehouse’s ex-wife Fiona Wightman.

Ms Sanderson, who played Candice Stowe in Coronation Street between 1999 and 2005, is due to enter the witness box to give evidence on Friday.

Actress Nikki Sanderson filed her claim in December 2020, her barrister said (PA Wire)

[9 June 2023 08:04 · Maryam Zakir-Hussain]

Welcome back

Good morning and welcome back to our liveblog. Today, Coronation Street actor Nikki Sanderson will appear in the witness box to give evidence.

Stay tuned as we keep you updated with the latest from the High Court.

[8 June 2023 19:52 · Sam Rkaina]

Piers Morgan ‘could have injected information from phone hacking into Prince Harry stories’

Piers Morgan could have “injected” information obtained by phone hacking into news stories about Prince Harry, a court heard.

The former editor of the Mirror was named by the Duke of Sussex’s lawyer, David Sherborne, during the ongoing trial at the High Court.

Harry, 38, alleges journalists at MGN (Mirror Group Newspapers) gathered private information about him by intercepting his personal voicemails when he was a teenager.

During questioning of the Mirror’s then royal correspondent, Jane Kerr, Mr Sherborne highlighted articles that appeared to quote a private conversation between William and Harry and the private thoughts of Harry’s father, Charles.

The lawyer claimed these details were “information that would precisely have come from people listening to voicemail messages.”

Click here for the full story.

Piers Morgan has said he has ‘never told anybody to hack a phone’ (PA Archive)

[8 June 2023 17:41 · Andy Gregory]

Coronation Street star to testify tomorrow as court rises

Proceedings have now finished for the day.

After introductions from her lawyer David Sherborne this afternoon, former Coronation Street actor Nikki Sanderson will appear in the witness box to give evidence tomorrow.

You can read more about today’s proceedings below:

[8 June 2023 17:20 · Peter Stubley]

‘Fanciful’ that private investigators were ‘only getting addresses to knock on doors'

It is “fanciful” that private investigators were “only getting addresses to go and knock on doors”, the lawyer for Coronation Street actor Nikki Sanderson has said.

Barrister David Sherborne pointed to a Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) story titled “Girls bag bargains”, which featured photographs of Sanderson and fellow Coronation Street star Tina O’Brien shopping in Deansgate, Manchester.

Mr Sherborne argued it was “much more likely” the photographer was commissioned to go to the area rather than spotting them “by luck”.

In relation to payments to private investigators, Mr Sherborne said “the idea they were only getting addresses to go and knock on doors is fanciful.”

MGN denies that 35 of the 37 articles in the Sanderson case involved voicemail interception or unlawful information gathering.

It admits that a private investigator was used to unlawfully obtain information as part of research for the article about Sanderson’s father.

The other article, which appeared in the Irish Sunday Mirror, is classed as “not admitted” and MGN says there is no evidence of voicemail hacking or unlawful information gathering for the story.

[8 June 2023 17:01 · Andy Gregory]

‘Very likely’ that Coronation Street star was targeted with voicemail interception, court told

It is “very likely” that Coronation Street star Nikki Sanderson was targeted with voicemail interception in order to establish her whereabouts, the court has been told.

One “exclusive” story brought in her case against Mirror Group Newspapers pictures of Sanderson wearing a bikini on holiday with then boyfriend Jamie Meakin on a Greek island.

Her barrister David Sherborne told the court: “We say it is very likely that Nikki Sanderson and Jamie Meakin were targeted with voicemail interception in the run up to their holiday.

“That’s how it was known where they would be.”

[8 June 2023 16:42 · Andy Gregory]

‘This isn’t celebrity gossip’: Actor hits out at ‘very hurtful’ story about her father’s love life

Peter Stubley reports from the High Court:

Former Coronation Street star Nikki Sanderson has denounced a “very hurtful” newspaper story describing her father as a “love rat”.

As part of proceedings in her claim against Mirror Group Newspapers, her barrister David Sherborne discussed an article by one of the publisher’s outlets which described her father as a “4-times wed womaniser”.

Mr Sherborne read a part of his client’s witness statement to the court, in which she said: “This isn’t celebrity gossip, it’s my life”, adding: “It’s very hurtful”.