CNN chat show host Piers Morgan told the British press ethics inquiry
that he had no reason to believe phone hacking went on at the Daily
Mirror during his editorship.
In a robust performance, Morgan
refused to elaborate on the circumstances in which he heard a voice
message left by Beatles star Paul McCartney for his then-wife Heather
Mills.
Morgan, who edited the Mirror tabloid between 1995 and
2004, said he felt "like a rock star having an album brought out from
his back catalogue of all his worst-ever hits", in sometimes terse
exchanges.
Giving evidence to the inquiry in London via video-link
from the United States, Morgan, who also was editor of the now-defunct
News of the World from 1994 to 1995, said he was unaware of any phone
hacking at the Mirror.
"To the best of my recollection, I do not
believe so," he said. Asked if he had ever seen phone hacking going on,
he said "no", adding that he was "100 percent" sure.
"Not a single person has made a formal or legal complaint against the Daily Mirror for phone hacking. Not one."
The
inquiry into the ethics, culture and practices of the British press,
being heard by judge Brian Leveson, was set up by Prime Minister David
Cameron following the closure of the News of the World in July.
Morgan
said he did not believe he had listened to illegally-obtained voicemail
messages, and said it didn't follow that listening to one person
speaking to somebody else was unethical.
He was asked about a
message he heard which was left by McCartney for Mills when the couple
were suffering problems with their marriage.
Morgan refused to go into details, saying he would not compromise his source.
Leveson
asserted that only Mills or someone authorised by her would lawfully be
able to listen to it and added that he was happy to call Mills to give
evidence.
"What do you expect me to say?", Morgan said. "In their
divorce case, Paul McCartney stated as a fact that she had recorded
their conversations and given them to the media."
Morgan said he
was never "directly involved" in hiring private investigators at the
red-top tabloid but admitted using the services of a man named Benji
"The Binman", who would go through celebrities' trash.
"Did I
think he was doing anything illegal? No. Did I think it was on the cusp
of unethical? Yes," Morgan said, adding: "If you threw something away
you are disregarding it and you clearly have no use for it and it is
going off to the rubbish tip."
Morgan said he had "very little
sympathy" with celebrities who sell their wedding photos to the media
"and then expect to have privacy if they get caught having affairs".
Celebrities "are the very last people who should be protected by privacy law", he said.
Meanwhile the owner of the News of World said it had settled phone hacking claims brought by seven public figures.
News
International, the British newspaper unit of Rupert Murdoch's News
Corp, agreed payouts with James Hewitt, the former lover of Diana,
princess of Wales, and late football icon George Best's son Calum.
Paul
Dadge, who helped survivors of the July 2005 bombings in London,
television personality Ulrika Jonsson, model Abi Titmuss, former
lawmaker Mark Oaten and theatrical agent Michelle Milburn were the
others whose claims were settled.
that he had no reason to believe phone hacking went on at the Daily
Mirror during his editorship.
In a robust performance, Morgan
refused to elaborate on the circumstances in which he heard a voice
message left by Beatles star Paul McCartney for his then-wife Heather
Mills.
Morgan, who edited the Mirror tabloid between 1995 and
2004, said he felt "like a rock star having an album brought out from
his back catalogue of all his worst-ever hits", in sometimes terse
exchanges.
Giving evidence to the inquiry in London via video-link
from the United States, Morgan, who also was editor of the now-defunct
News of the World from 1994 to 1995, said he was unaware of any phone
hacking at the Mirror.
"To the best of my recollection, I do not
believe so," he said. Asked if he had ever seen phone hacking going on,
he said "no", adding that he was "100 percent" sure.
"Not a single person has made a formal or legal complaint against the Daily Mirror for phone hacking. Not one."
The
inquiry into the ethics, culture and practices of the British press,
being heard by judge Brian Leveson, was set up by Prime Minister David
Cameron following the closure of the News of the World in July.
Morgan
said he did not believe he had listened to illegally-obtained voicemail
messages, and said it didn't follow that listening to one person
speaking to somebody else was unethical.
He was asked about a
message he heard which was left by McCartney for Mills when the couple
were suffering problems with their marriage.
Morgan refused to go into details, saying he would not compromise his source.
Leveson
asserted that only Mills or someone authorised by her would lawfully be
able to listen to it and added that he was happy to call Mills to give
evidence.
"What do you expect me to say?", Morgan said. "In their
divorce case, Paul McCartney stated as a fact that she had recorded
their conversations and given them to the media."
Morgan said he
was never "directly involved" in hiring private investigators at the
red-top tabloid but admitted using the services of a man named Benji
"The Binman", who would go through celebrities' trash.
"Did I
think he was doing anything illegal? No. Did I think it was on the cusp
of unethical? Yes," Morgan said, adding: "If you threw something away
you are disregarding it and you clearly have no use for it and it is
going off to the rubbish tip."
Morgan said he had "very little
sympathy" with celebrities who sell their wedding photos to the media
"and then expect to have privacy if they get caught having affairs".
Celebrities "are the very last people who should be protected by privacy law", he said.
Meanwhile the owner of the News of World said it had settled phone hacking claims brought by seven public figures.
News
International, the British newspaper unit of Rupert Murdoch's News
Corp, agreed payouts with James Hewitt, the former lover of Diana,
princess of Wales, and late football icon George Best's son Calum.
Paul
Dadge, who helped survivors of the July 2005 bombings in London,
television personality Ulrika Jonsson, model Abi Titmuss, former
lawmaker Mark Oaten and theatrical agent Michelle Milburn were the
others whose claims were settled.