Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025

Spice Girl among stars to begin phone-hacking claims against Murdoch empire

Spice Girl among stars to begin phone-hacking claims against Murdoch empire

Melanie Chisholm, Boyzone’s Shane Lynch and S Club 7’s Hannah Spearritt latest to allege voicemail interception
A group of 1990s pop stars are among the latest individuals to launch phone-hacking cases against Rupert Murdoch’s media empire, as the scandal that has dogged the company for more than 15 years continues to rumble on at the high court.

Melanie Chisholm from the Spice Girls, Shane Lynch from Boyzone, Hannah Spearritt from S Club 7, and Steps’s Ian Watkins and Lee Latchford-Evans have recently filed claims against the company.

The cases are a reminder that, even as Murdoch attempts to revive his reputation in the UK with the launch of his national television channel talkTV, his business is continuing to pay out millions of pounds a year to settle historical cases of illegal voicemail interception.

The company is also embroiled in a phone-hacking case brought by Prince Harry, who has alleged that his voicemails were targeted by the Sun and News of the World. Murdoch’s lawyers have accepted that Harry’s phone was hacked by reporters at the News of the World, but say he was made aware of this in 2006, meaning he has missed the six-year statute of limitations on bringing such cases. They deny allegations that his phone was targeted by reporters working for the Sun.

Murdoch’s decision to hire Piers Morgan as the lead presenter of talkTV will also refocus attention on the use of phone hacking when Morgan was editor of the Mirror. Phone hacking was widely practised by Mirror reporters during this era, and Morgan has previously discussed listening to voicemails left by Sir Paul McCartney. However, he has always strongly denied any personal involvement or knowledge of illegal information-gathering.

The new cases by the 1990s pop stars have been filed against Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers subsidiary, the legal owner of the Sun and the now defunct News of the World. Murdoch has burnt through hundreds of millions of pounds in legal fees over the last decade settling similar cases. This has ensured that claims are not tested in potentially embarrassing public trials.

News UK declined to comment on the latest cases.

Despite repeated claims in court hearings that phone hacking was widely used at the Sun, the company has repeatedly insisted that the practice did not take place at the daily tabloid. Even settlements that are made specifically in relation to allegations of wrongdoing at the Sun are usually accompanied by a statement from News UK insisting that such hacking was limited to the News of the World.

However, the Lib Dem MP Simon Hughes recently won a case explicitly relating to articles published by the Sun during the editorship of Rebekah Brooks, who is now in charge of all Murdoch’s British media outlets. Asked about Brooks’ involvement in the story, Hughes said outside court that he would not name names, but “it is clear from all I have seen that it went to the top of the Sun”.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
Nurse who raped woman continued working for a year despite police alert
Drought forces closures of England’s canal routes, canceling boat holidays
Sweet tooth scents: food-inspired perfumes surge as weight-loss drugs suppress appetites
Experts warn Britain dangerously reliant on imported food
Family of Notting Hill Carnival murder victim call event unmanageable
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
×