A High Court Trial Hangs in the Balance as Whistleblower Contradicts Key Witness
The case against Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL), which includes Prince Harry and Doreen Lawrence, appears to have taken a dramatic turn. Just weeks before the high court trial, Jonathan Rees, a private investigator who has supported claims of unlawful news gathering, contradicted a central allegation in the claimants' case. The whistleblower's statement raises questions about the validity of key witness statements.
Rees denied admitting to Lawrence that he was involved in bugging her after the racially motivated murder of her 18-year-old son, Stephen, in 1993. This allegation had been part of Lawrence's witness statement, which claimed private investigators had tapped her landlines, hacked her voicemails, and bugged a cafe where she used to hold meetings. Rees stated that he was only offered to assist in surveillance by other agents and did not get involved.
Rees' comments have significant implications for the case against ANL. The claimants alleged that private investigators were hired to secretly steal information about them, which Rees has now denied. While his statement does not provide documentary evidence, it suggests that the allegations may be unfounded.
The funding of the legal case has also come under scrutiny. Graham Johnson, a former News of the World journalist, received funding from Geoff Stunt, the father of James Stunt, who was a long-time target of Daily Mail investigations. Hugh Grant, the actor, has stated that he funded Johnson's research into rumors about the Daily Mail offering money to Ian Huntley, the Soham murderer.
As the trial approaches, it remains to be seen how these developments will impact the outcome. The case against ANL is accused of carrying out or commissioning unlawful activities such as hiring private investigators to place listening devices inside cars and accessing private phone conversations. However, the publication has denied the allegations, stating that they are "appalling and utterly groundless smears."
The case against Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL), which includes Prince Harry and Doreen Lawrence, appears to have taken a dramatic turn. Just weeks before the high court trial, Jonathan Rees, a private investigator who has supported claims of unlawful news gathering, contradicted a central allegation in the claimants' case. The whistleblower's statement raises questions about the validity of key witness statements.
Rees denied admitting to Lawrence that he was involved in bugging her after the racially motivated murder of her 18-year-old son, Stephen, in 1993. This allegation had been part of Lawrence's witness statement, which claimed private investigators had tapped her landlines, hacked her voicemails, and bugged a cafe where she used to hold meetings. Rees stated that he was only offered to assist in surveillance by other agents and did not get involved.
Rees' comments have significant implications for the case against ANL. The claimants alleged that private investigators were hired to secretly steal information about them, which Rees has now denied. While his statement does not provide documentary evidence, it suggests that the allegations may be unfounded.
The funding of the legal case has also come under scrutiny. Graham Johnson, a former News of the World journalist, received funding from Geoff Stunt, the father of James Stunt, who was a long-time target of Daily Mail investigations. Hugh Grant, the actor, has stated that he funded Johnson's research into rumors about the Daily Mail offering money to Ian Huntley, the Soham murderer.
As the trial approaches, it remains to be seen how these developments will impact the outcome. The case against ANL is accused of carrying out or commissioning unlawful activities such as hiring private investigators to place listening devices inside cars and accessing private phone conversations. However, the publication has denied the allegations, stating that they are "appalling and utterly groundless smears."
. But at the same time I gotta question all these allegations against ANL and whether they're even legit. I mean if Jonathan Rees is saying he was only offered surveillance assistance by other agents, that changes everything 
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. I'm all for holding people accountable but you gotta wonder what's really going on here.
. It's like, the case against ANL might be unfair if there's no concrete proof, and that would just be a shame 
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Sounds like ANL's got some dirty laundry to clean up! Rees' statement is a major bummer for Lawrence's case 
. Can't trust everything said by witnesses... Funding from Stunt & Grant? Get real, rich people playin' both sides 
THIS WHOLE CASE IS GETTING MORE AND MORE COMPLICATED BY THE MINUTE!!! 
I MEAN, IF JONATHAN REES IS TELLING THE TRUTH, THEN IT'S POSSIBLE THAT THERE WEREN'T AS MANY UNLAWFUL ACTIVITIES AS PEOPLE THINK! 
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IF HE WAS JUST TRYING TO COVER HIS TRACKS, THEN WE CAN'T TRUST WHAT HE SAYS EITHER 
. AND LET'S NOT FORGET ABOUT GRANT FUNDING JOHNSON'S RESEARCH... IS THAT A CRIME IN ITSELF?!? 
Funding issues are also coming under scrutiny, which raises some concerns about bias or motive. But hey, who knows how this will all play out? 
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according to stats from the UK's Court Service, about 70% of high court cases in England & Wales have a defendant who is a media organization - talk about a conflict of interest? 
funding for these types of cases can be a real issue too... a study found that 1 in 5 civil law costs exceed £1 million 
. Either way, I'm keeping an eye on how this all unfolds, especially since it seems to have a big impact on the trial 
but at the same time, I don't wanna jump to conclusions or anything, 'cause we don't know all the facts yet. and what's up with this funding thing? it's like, okay so Graham Johnson got money from Geoff Stunt, which is weird, but then Hugh Grant steps in and funds his research... is that just a bunch of fishy business or what? 
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. how much influence does money have over these investigations? is it really possible that Hugh Grant was able to fund someone's research into rumors and get accurate info out of it? I guess we'll just have to wait and see how this all plays out in court 