London: The former chief executive of the publisher of Britain’s Daily Mirror said phone hacking carried out by journalists she employed was concealed from her, as she gave evidence on Monday in a lawsuit brought by Prince Harry against the newspaper.
Sly Bailey told London’s High Court that allegations of unlawful information-gathering were “a matter of great regret”.
Sly Bailey, ex-chief executive of Trinity Mirror, in 2012.Credit: Getty
“It is pretty devastating as a chief executive, actually, to be sitting here and listening to this, and I am deeply regretful and I do apologise on behalf of the company,” she said.
“I hope that people will understand that I had no knowledge of these activities.”
Bailey was the chief executive of Trinity Mirror, publisher of the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People, between 2003 and 2012.
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Harry, King Charles’ younger son, and more than 100 others are suing Mirror Group Newspapers, accusing its titles of phone hacking and other unlawful behaviour between 1991 and 2011, with the approval of senior executives.
Harry is due to give evidence himself in person in early June, the first British royal to do so since the 19th century.
MGN, which is owned by Reach and was known as Trinity Mirror until 2018, strongly denies the allegations.
