New cases mean hacking scandal is far from over

The media empire owned by Rupert Murdoch has been rocked by the scandal (PA)

Rupert Murdoch’s hopes of drawing a line under the financially toxic phone-hacking scandal will be derailed in the High Court on Friday when details of more hacking victims are announced.

Over 100 new cases are currently being assessed by law firms, despite News International recently announcing that its own in-house compensation scheme would close on 8 April.

Major shareholders in the Murdoch media empire will be disappointed to learn that despite the latest wave of expensive settlements, this summer’s planned corporate overhaul and the criminal trials scheduled for later this year, the new list of cases means the scandal is far from being over.

The High Court will hear counsel for News International offer public apologies to more than a dozen victims for the illegal activities of the News of the World, with out-of-court settlements announced for around 140 other cases.

From the second tranche of victims, who include Hugh Grant, Tamzin Outhwaite, Uri Geller, Bernie Ecclestone and David Beckham’s father, Cherie Blair is one of those likely to receive an apology for the illegal intrusion into her private life.