Celebrities seek hacking notes evidence

Celebrities who suspect that phone messages were intercepted by News of the World journalists today asked a High Court judge to give their lawyers access to "surveillance" notes.

High-profile figures including Labour politician John Prescott, actor Jude Law, television presenter Ulrika Jonsson and ex-footballer Lee Chapman said they wanted material gathered by private investigator Glenn Mulcaire made available.

Four years ago Mulcaire - and former News of the World royal editor Clive Goodman - were given jail terms after the Old Bailey heard how they plotted to hack into Royal aides' telephone messages.

And earlier this month, actress Sienna Miller was given £100,000 damages as part of a settlement of a civil privacy and harassment claim against the News of the World.

Hugh Tomlinson, QC, representing Mr Prescott, Mr Law, Ms Jonsson, Mr Chapman and others, today asked Mr Justice Vos to order the disclosure of the "Mulcaire archive" held by police, during a hearing at the High Court in London.

Mr Tomlinson said material gathered by Mulcaire was seized by Metropolitan police officers in 2006. And he asked for all Mulcaire's seized notes and notebooks to be disclosed so that the level of damage suffered by his clients could be assessed.

The court has already ruled that information relating specifically to litigants making damages claims should be disclosed. Mr Tomlinson said that was not enough - and argued that his clients needed the entire "archive".

"This is an application for disclosure," said Mr Tomlinson. "Essentially for disclosure of material seized by the Metropolitan Police from Glenn Mulcaire in 2006."

He added: "What we are asking for effectively is the totality of the Mulcaire information."

Mr Tomlinson - who said he was not seeking disclosure of recordings - said the complete collection of seized notes would allow lawyers to investigate how long the News of the World and Mulcaire had an "arrangement", what the "standing orders" were and what the "modus operandi" was.

He said people had "effectively been under surveillance".

The hearing continues.