You are here: HomeAfricaBBC2023 06 05Article 1780565

BBC Pidgin of Monday, 5 June 2023

Source: BBC

Five newspaper stories court dey torchlight for Prince Harry case

Prince Harry Prince Harry

Prince Harry bin no dey court on Monday, for im case against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN).

Di Duke of Sussex dey sue Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) ova phone hacking and illegal invasion into im private life.

One of di judge bin dey "surprise" sake of di Duke of Sussex absence from London High Court.

Dis week Prince Harry go become di most senior royal in modern times to step into di witness box.

Di Duke of Sussex dey likely to begin to give evidence on Tuesday.

Di publisher bin admit say dem hack phone once for dia newspapers - but dem deny ever targeting di Duke of Sussex.

Di judge go examine in minute di details of 33 sample stories wey Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Di People published as - part of 147 wey di Duke of Sussex lawyers say be di fruits of illegal newsgathering between 1996 and 2010.

MGN don tell di court say di vast majority of di sample, dem go show say di story dem get na from legit source. Di judge go decide who dey right.

For di case of five stories, dem no give full alternative account and dem tell Prince Harry to "prove am".

Also, MGN don admit on one occasion for 2004 dem instruct a private investigator to unlawfully gada information relating to Prince Harry conduct for one nightclub - but dis incident no dey part of im claim for breach of privacy.

Dis na summary of some of di stories wey Harry allege say dem obtain through hacking:

Story of di young prince

Di first allegation to test, date back to 16 September, 1996 wen di Daily Mirror bin report "DIANA SO SAD ON HARRY'S BIG DAY". Di story reveal say di prince mama bin spend just 20 minutes wit am on im 12th birthday, wey come weeks afta im parents' divorce. Di Mirror say di young prince "bin dey take di royal divorce badly".

Di oda stories about di child prince. Di Mirror bin report for 2000 say Harry wey don turn 15 years at dis time bin dey go for rock climbing rather dan attending one gala pageant for di Queen Mother 100th birthday.

MGN dey expected to argue say both of these examples, di information bin dey di public domain already, no be something wey bin dey private or simply trivial. Team Harry go say stories like these fit dey linked to records of payments to private investigators.

School days

Prince Harry say unlawful invasion follow am, for di playing fields of Eton.

Two stories discuss im sporting injuries. Di Daily Mirror bin report for November 2000 say Harry don do "one minor operation" for im arm afta one football-related injury for Eton, wit details of specific advice doctors bin give di 16-year-old.

Eleven months later, di Sunday Mirror report for one story wit di headline "RUGGER OFF, HARRY" say doctors don order di prince to stop to play rugby sake of one back injury.

Both of dis stories including wetin appear to be private medical information - but according to trial documents, MGN team dey set to argue di details say either dem dey provided by di Palace or essentially na public knowledge for school.

Family matters

Some of di 33 stories cover internal family affairs. One, from Di People for December 2003, e give details about one quarrel between Harry and Prince William ova di behaviour of dia late mother former butler Paul Burrell.

At dat time, di former member of di household being dey accused of selling stories about Princess Diana. Di People bin suggest say di brothers bin fall out ova wetin to do, Harry bin "vex" wit William. Harry dey quoted as privately branded di butler a "two-faced s***".

Court documents show di Mirror Group dey expected to say while some of di information dey private, public interest on di mata bin dey big.

Teenage party

Some of di trial go focus on well-known stories about drinking and drugs - something Prince Harry don tok about for im autobiography.

One Sunday Mirror story, from January 2002, bin report say di then Prince Charles bin "give Harry serious warning" for smoking cannabis.

Di next day, di Daily Mirror headline read "HARRY'S COCAINE ECSTASY AND GHB PARTIES", before e go on to reveal say di 17-year-old prince bin dey "very fed up and very cheesed off" sake of how im dey chaperoned. MGN dey expected to defend dia reporting to say di stories na public interest and dem get "a variety of legitimate routes and sources" for dem.

Girlfriends

Di largest part of di articles dey about di prince love life.

"HARRY IS A CHELSY FAN", na wetin di Daily Mirror bin report on November 29,2004, e give details of di "besotted" 20-year-old's "love-nest" for Argentina wit one "pretty blonde".

From then on, im relationship wit Chelsy Davy fill pages of newsprint across di global tabloid media. Di Duke say part of di reason dem ultimately split na say di press and photographers bin hound her.

Prince Harry team say on many occasions di only way paparazzi photographers fit find out wia he and Ms Davy dey na wit di help of illegal intrusion - dem say evidence dey say both dia mobile phones bin dey targeted by journalists wey bin dey listen to dia voice messages.

On one occasion, Di Duke say, di newspaper journalists bin book into di same remote Mozambique hotel as im and Ms Davy, even though dia trip bin dey secret.

Oda articles report di couple as dem dey phone each oda during rocky periods for dia relationship.

One April 2009 article for The People - "CHELSY'S NEW FELLA" - bin report say Prince Harry bin dey "bombard di stunning blonde wit calls to win her back".

Anthony Harwood, di journalist wey bin write di original Mirror story about di Argentinian hideaway, bin already don tell di trial say im get dat story legitimately wit di help of one local freelancer wey bin speak to eyewitnesses.