Elton John claims Daily Mail got his son's birth details before parents - trial begins

Sir Elton John said he feared for his children’s safety (Aaron Chown/PA) Aaron Chown

Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish told a London court that alleged unlawful news gathering by the publisher of the Daily Mail violated their children's safety. A nine-week High Court trial began on Monday, with the couple among seven claimants accusing Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) of hiring private investigators and illegally accessing private information between 2002 and 2015.

The allegations against ANL include placing listening devices in cars, illegally obtaining private records, and accessing phone conversations. The couple claim ANL targeted them in ten articles during this period.

"Uncertainty of not knowing"

In written submissions presented by their barrister David Sherborne on Monday, Sir Elton and Furnish expressed outrage over the alleged theft of their son Zachary's birth certificate and medical details. The couple said ANL published this information "before we even had a chance to see it ourselves".

Sherborne told the court: "They feel that their home, and the safety of their children and loved ones, have been violated." Furnish said he felt "profoundly affected by the uncertainty of not knowing how many times we were targeted… We still don't know what was really done to us".

The exploitation of love, connection, trust and bonds to find out information shared in confidence horrified Sir Elton.

ANL denies all allegations

ANL strongly rejected the claims. In written submissions, barrister Antony White KC said the claimants' attempt to link payment records with articles showing "hallmarks" of unlawful information gathering was flawed. He called it "unsupported by any evidence before the court and utterly baseless".

The publisher denies any wrongdoing.

Background to the case

The claimants launched the legal cases in 2022. ANL attempted to have them dismissed as "time-barred" in 2023, arguing the claimants brought them too late, but failed.

Five other claimants join Sir Elton and Furnish: the Duke of Sussex, Baroness Doreen Lawrence, politician Sir Simon Hughes, actress Liz Hurley, and actress Sadie Frost. The couple monitored Monday's proceedings via video-link, while some co-claimants attended court in person.

Judge Mr Justice Nicklin will deliver his judgment in writing at a later date.

Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).