An American private investigator known as "Detective Danno" testified at the High Court on Tuesday that he claimed to have carried out unlawful activities connected to Prince Harry while working for the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday.
Dan Portley-Hanks, 79, admitted in his witness statement, referring to the Duke of Sussex: "I know that I did unlawful stuff on him, but I cannot recall what exactly."
Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, denies that Prince Harry was subjected to unlawful information gathering.
The investigator was providing evidence in a trial brought by several prominent figures against ANL, with claimants including Harry, Sir Elton John and Baroness Doreen Lawrence.
Private investigator claims he carried out 'unlawful' acts in Prince Harry case
|GETTY
The group alleges that the publisher targeted them through unlawful information-gathering.
ANL strongly denies any wrongdoing and maintains that the claimants have failed to substantiate the alleged confessions made by private investigators, including Mr Portley-Hanks.
According to his witness statement, Mr Portley-Hanks began his career as a private investigator after leaving prison in 1979, becoming, from approximately 1993, what he described as an "independent supplier of data to British tabloid reporters".
He stated that he worked for ANL publications from the early 1990s through to the early 2010s, with the newspapers becoming his most lucrative client.
Prince Harry arriving at the High Court in London for his bitter legal battle with Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday
| GETTYThe investigator claimed he received substantial work from two Mail on Sunday journalists, Caroline Graham and Sharon Churcher, who he said regularly requested assistance locating telephone numbers for individuals they wished to contact.
Mr Portley-Hanks described his methods: "All I needed was a name or a phone number, and I could find a target's contact and other private details, usually within minutes."
Regarding other claimants, Mr Portley-Hanks recalled obtaining contact details for Sir Elton John and his partner, while acknowledging he performed some task involving Liz Hurley but could not remember the specifics.
Responding to these allegations, Antony White KC, representing ANL, submitted that the publisher "strongly denies" Prince Harry was subjected to unlawful information gathering.
The publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday has been accused of 'dirty tricks' by a source close to Prince Harry
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The Duke of Sussex is one of seven high-profile claimants suing the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday
| GETTYThe barrister suggested there were contradictions in the evidence, noting that Mr Portley-Hanks claimed he approached the claimants in 2021, yet the Duke of Sussex stated he learned of an alleged confession in 2020.
Mr White criticised what he termed the "inability on the part of the claimants to evidence these so-called confessions" and alleged that purported evidence had been obtained through financial inducements and threats.
Regarding the police corruption claims, he stated: "No document has been produced capable of supporting the allegation of corruption."
The barrister dismissed allegations from Liz Hurley as "entirely baseless" and Sir Elton's claims as "groundless", both being "unsupported by the evidence before the court".
Proceedings are scheduled to continue until March, when the trial is expected to conclude. A judgment will be delivered in written form at a subsequent date.