British tabloid accused of up to 3,000 illegal phone-taps

London, July 9

Former British deputy prime minister John Prescott Thursday reacted with fury after claims that a tabloid illegally tapped the telephones of thousands of high-profile figures, including him, and paid a million pounds to silence victims.

The Guardian claimed Thursday three cases were settled out of court after journalists from the News of the World tabloid were accused of hiring private investigators who obtained information illegally.

The newspaper claimed that the News of the World, owned by Australian media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, targeted up to 3,000 high-profile figures, including models Elle Macpherson and Lisa Snowdon, the publicist Max Clifford, actors Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law, singer George Michael, ex-England football manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, London Mayor Boris Johnson, the late reality television star Jade Goody and politicians from all the major British parties.

The Guardian said the out-of-court payments secured secrecy over the methods employed by the tabloid, and claimed Thursday's revelations may “open the door to hundreds more legal actions by victims

Last updated on Jul 9^th, 2009 at 17:35 pm IST--IANS

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