The judge accused Mr Vickers of lying after he claimed that News of the World hacker Glenn Mulcaire was “one rogue reporter” and that he did not believe the practice was taking place at MGN. “The idea that someone in his position, an insider, was taken in by a lie of that kind told by another newspaper, is fanciful,” he added.
A sum of £20,000 was awarded for the “cumulative and lasting damage to the Duke’s wellbeing”.
The judge said it was “clear” that MGN did not want Sir Brian Leveson to have a full picture of the extent to which private investigators were being used by its newspapers.
“My conclusion is that VMI (voicemail interception or phone hacking) remained an important tool of the kind of journalism that was being practised at all three newspapers up to and to a limited extent even during the Leveson inquiry, and it was fed by extensive UIG (unlawful information gathering).
“It was still used to a significant extent, but not quite as habitually as before August 2006.”
The judgment added: “MGN emerged largely unscathed from the Leveson inquiry. The decision was obviously taken at a high level that MGN’s interests were best served by keeping a lid on as much as possible of what had happened.”
The Duke’s case was heard alongside similar claims by actor Michael Turner, who is known professionally as Michael Le Vell and best known for playing Kevin Webster in Coronation Street, actress Nikki Sanderson and Fiona Wightman, the ex-wife of the comedian Paul Whitehouse.
Claims brought by Ms Sanderson and Ms Wightman were dismissed by the judge because they were made too late, despite a finding that some of their complaints were proved.
Mr Turner was awarded £31,650 in damages after the judge ruled his phone hacking and unlawful information-gathering case was “proved only to a limited extent”.
The findings made in relation to all four will be used to determine the outcome of dozens of claims brought against MGN by others including the actor Ricky Tomlinson, the estate of the late singer George Michael, ex-footballer and television presenter Ian Wright and Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Tweedy.
Following the ruling, an MGN spokesman said: “We welcome today’s judgment that gives the business the necessary clarity to move forward from events that took place many years ago. Where historical wrongdoing took place, we apologise unreservedly, have taken full responsibility and paid appropriate compensation.”
