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By Jack Grey
BBC News
Footage circulating online appears to show a police officer punching a man nine times while restraining him on the floor.
The incident occurred during the arrest of a man, 34, in Porthmadog, Gwynedd, north west Wales, on Wednesday.
In the footage, a male officer is seen with his arm around the man's neck appearing to punch him in the face.
North Wales Police said the matter was being "fully investigated" and referred itself to the police watchdog.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has since launched an independent investigation.
The video appears to show the suspect taken to the ground by a male and female officer after a brief altercation.
Separate footage shows the man being led to a police vehicle with a swollen and bruised face.
He was then taken to hospital and assessed by medical staff before being transferred into police custody, said the force.
'Whole community shocked'
The incident happened on Pensyflog, a street in the coastal town of Porthmadog.
Nia Jeffreys, Gwynedd councillor for the area, said: "The whole community is shocked to tell the truth and it's really shaken our faith and trust in the police here in north Wales.
"Trust is definitely shaken. Nobody expects to see one police officer punching a man several times whilst he is already on the floor, it's very serious.
"This kind of behaviour by one police officer can't be tolerated it's very difficult to justify."
Ms Jeffreys added that she, along with the local MP and MS, have written to the chief constable to determine the "facts of this situation".
Police and Crime Commissioner for north Wales, Andy Dunbobbin, described the footage as "concerning" and said he was taking it "very seriously".
"I discussed this incident with the chief constable this morning and she has confirmed the matter is rightly being investigated by North Wales Police," he said.
"I take such incidents very seriously and will work with the police and other bodies to understand the circumstances behind the footage," he added.
'Significant public concern'
David Ford, director of the IOPC, said: "Footage on social media, capturing part of the interaction between police officers and the arrested man has, understandably, attracted significant interest and public concern.
"It is important that we thoroughly and independently investigate the whole incident, in order to establish whether the level of force used during the arrest was reasonable and proportionate in the circumstances."
A North Wales Police spokesperson said: "This matter is currently being fully investigated by North Wales Police and further updates will be issued in due course."
Adam Price has quit as Plaid Cymru leader after a report found misogyny, harassment and bullying in the party.
A new leader will be in place in the summer, the party has said in a statement released late on Wednesday night.
It follows months of difficulties in Plaid including allegations of a sexual assault and a toxic working culture.
In his resignation letter, Mr Price said he no longer had the "united support" of his colleagues.
He said he wanted to resign in the wake of the report's findings, but was initially persuaded not to quit.
"You have my personal assurance that I will continue to serve my country, my constituents and our party with determination and enthusiasm," he said in a letter to party chairman, Marc Jones.
The announcement was made following a meeting of the party's ruling body, the National Executive Committee (NEC).
One source from the meeting said some members raised the possibility of Adam Price remaining in post.
But it was considered untenable given the seriousness of the findings of the review.
On Thursday, Plaid's Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts said Mr Price wasn't asked to resign in the wake of the "toxic culture" report because "stability" was needed to implement its recommendations.
Speaking on the Today programme, Liz Saville Roberts said: "Effective leadership is about balancing conflicting demands.
"What we felt strongly was that we needed a collegiate approach within the party because it (the report) cuts across all aspects of the party and it requires a change of culture".
"In order to do that we would need stability".
The party's Senedd group will meet on Thursday morning to agree arrangements for an interim leader.
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Plaid Cymru is the third largest party in the Welsh Parliament, with 12 Members of the Senedd and three MPs in Westminster.
The pro-independence party is in a co-operation agreement with the Welsh Labour government.
Party chairman Mr Jones thanked Mr Price "for his drive and vision over the past four and a half years".
Mr Price was elected party leader in 2018, when he ousted Leanne Wood.
Welsh Conservative leader, Andrew RT Davies, said: "I have no doubt Adam Price's departure is a moment of personal sadness for him.
"Following the recent report into the culture within their party, it became clear Plaid Cymru politicians no longer had confidence in his leadership, so his departure became inevitable."
For the converted, the die-hard believers, it wasn't meant to be like this.
Adam Price was touted by many in Plaid Cymru as a "once in a generation" politician who could overcome the party's many electoral barriers.
And yet, there was no great advance at the following Senedd election - Plaid remains in third place behind the Welsh Conservatives.
Supporters will say it was an election like no other, one focused almost entirely on the public's broadly favourable opinion of the Welsh Labour government's handling of the pandemic.
It is clear, though, that some of the sheen had faded and in terms of public support, the party remains no further forward under Adam Price's leadership.
As it nears its 100th birthday celebrations, Plaid Cymru will seek its 11th leader with many of the perennial questions about its purpose, its lack of reach beyond the heartlands and its relationship with Welsh Labour likely to be raised.
But it is the drip, drip of negative stories over the last year, culminating in a damning report that found a toxic culture within the party that meant Adam Price's position was no longer tenable.
Addressing those major issues will be his successor's primary focus.
Since last year Plaid Cymru has been dogged by claims of a toxic culture in the party, and it emerged last November that an allegation of sexual assault had been made against a senior member of staff.
The party asked Nerys Evans, a lobbyist and former Plaid assembly member, to hold a review last December.
Her working group's report said Plaid needed to "detoxify a culture of harassment, bullying and misogyny".
It said too many instances of bad behaviour were tolerated, and said an anonymous survey of staff and elected members highlighted examples "of sexual harassment, bullying and discrimination".
Mr Price admitted the document left Plaid Cymru "harmed and tarnished". He apologised, but refused to quit.
In his resignation letter, Mr Price said: "On receiving the report, I informed you that I felt morally bound to step down as leader of the party in recognition of our collective failure."
"You counselled against my resignation as you felt it would make it more difficult to achieve progress in implementing the recommendations."
He said he was "persuaded by the argument that my stepping down would be an abdication of responsibility".
But he added: "It is now clear I no longer have the united support of my colleagues that would be necessary to follow this course to fruition."
n attempt to stop Suella Braverman’s Illegal Migration Bill in its tracks has been heavily defeated in the House of Lords.
Peers rejected by 179 votes to 76, a majority of 103, a so-called fatal motion to the Bill which aims to stop small boat Channel crossings.
Liberal Democrat Lord Paddick, who proposed the fatal motion, said: “This Bill is all pain and no gain. This is a question of principle.”
The government won the vote despite a rare political intervention from the Archbishop of Canterbury who heavily criticised the plans, saying they risked “great damage” to the UK’s reputation.
In a withering attack on the Bill, Justin Welby said international protections for refugees are “not inconvenient obstructions to get round by any legislative means necessary”
He was among a large number of peers in opposition to Suella Braverman’s controversial Bill as it made a bruising passage through the house.
He argued against legislation aimed at ensuring people who arrive in “small boats” crossing the Channel are detained and promptly removed, either to their home country or a third country such as Rwanda, and banned from returning to Britain.
He has previously criticised the plan to send migrants to Rwanda as “ungodly”.
The archbishop, who crowned the King in Westminster Abbey on Saturday, said he did not think the Bill would stop the small boats crossing the English Channel as he branded it "morally unacceptable and politically impractical".
He told peers: “We need a Bill to reform migration. We need a Bill to stop the boats. We need a Bill to destroy the evil tribe of traffickers. The tragedy is that without much change this is not that Bill.
“This Bill fails to take a long-term and strategic view of the challenges of migration and undermines international co-operation rather than taking an opportunity for the UK to show leadership.”
Highlighting the existing global agreements on refugees, Mr Welby said: “While now inadequate, what those conventions offer is a baseline from which to build a globally shared understanding of what protection must be given to refugees.
“They are not inconvenient obstructions to get round by any legislative means necessary.”
The Bill has faced criticism
/ PA
He added: “Even if this Bill succeeded in temporarily stopping the boats, and I don’t think it will, it won’t stop conflict or climate migration.”
The immigration reforms, which have already been passed by the Commons, are still set for a rocky ride through parliament despite passing this first hurdle.
Among other critics in a debate stretching into the evening was Baroness Helic, who fled to the UK from war-torn Bosnia at the age of 23, who argued the Bill represented “an outright ban on asylum” and questioned its morality.
She said: “Undermining jurisdiction of international courts and ignoring our international legal commitments does not serve our interests.
“The only way to tackle global transnational challenges like immigration is through international law, cooperation and shared responsibility.
“Leading a race to the bottom where we all try to offload our obligations onto the others will not help, bearing in mind 74% of all refugees worldwide are hosted by low and middle income countries with far fewer resources than our nation.”
Labour peer Lord Howarth of Newport branded the legislation “merciless” and “particularly cruel for children”.
The former Tory MP, who served in Margaret Thatcher’s government, added that the Iron Lady would have understood that “this policy won’t work”.
He said: “I would remind the proponents of this legislation that Mrs Thatcher used to say that, in politics, you have a choice: you can appeal to the better part of human nature or the worst.
“She was no softie, but she didn’t practice cruelty out of a cynical notion of electoral expediency.
“She would have understood that the policy won’t work at any level. The asylum seekers won’t be deterred from getting into the boats because they won’t know what our law is and the people traffickers will continue to take their money and push them out to sea.”
Robert Jenrick defended the bill
/ PA
But immigration minister Robert Jenrick said he “respectfully” disagreed with the Archbishop of Canterbury’s criticism.
“We believe the British public support us in our efforts to stop the boats”, he told Channel 4 News.
He said that he did not think there was “anything moral in perpetuating the trade for people smugglers and human traffickers”.
“If this was easy, if there were simple solutions, we would have done them already,” he added.
He said that those crossing the Channel from France were “essentially asylum shoppers”.
“We don’t think it’s right that if you’re in a safe country like France, that you should be coming to the UK. That’s creating a fundamental unfairness.”
Also rejecting the Archbishop’s criticism, House Of Cards author Lord Dobbs stressed the need to tackle the people smugglers.
The Tory peer and former adviser to the Thatcher government said: “They trade in lies, they trade lives.
“There’s nothing moral about allowing the pernicious trade of people smugglers to continue. It is our moral obligation to stop them, to bring an end to the unimaginable pain of mothers and fathers watching their children drowning off our shores in the channel.
“No amount of handwringing or bell ringing is going to do that.”
Home Office minister Lord Murray of Blidworth said the archbishop and other opponents were right to talk about the bill in “moral” terms.
He said: “Proceeding with this Bill is the moral course.
“We must put a stop to the dangerous Channel crossings, putting lives at risk and splitting families.
“We must end the callous exploitation of vulnerable people by the people smugglers and we must uphold the law and ensure fair play for those who abide by our immigration rules.”
The unelected chamber sat from 11am to consider the Bill at second reading after it passed the Commons, with almost 90 speakers including the archbishop being listed to speak.
One of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s five pledges was to pass legislation to “stop the boats”.
More than 6,000 migrants have crossed the channel so far in 2023, with the Home Office facing severe criticism for delays in dealing with asylum applications.
To cope with the numbers, the Government plans to use disused military camps and a barge as accommodation centres.
Bibby Stockholm, the barge which is to be used by the Home Office to house up to 500 male asylum seekers, arrives from Genoa
/ Getty/PA
But critics argue the flagship immigration reforms break international law and threaten modern slavery protections.
Meanwhile, a barge which the Government plans to use to house up to 500 migrants has arrived in Falmouth, Cornwall.
The Bibby Stockholm is expected to be moved into position at the port of Portland in Dorset in the next few weeks, after undergoing checks. It was towed from Italy and will be used to house single adult male asylum seekers.
The plan has, however, faced criticism from Tory-run Dorset council and local Conservative MP Richard Drax who said it was “dumped on our door” without consultation by the Government.
Flash flooding in parts of southern England has led to a major incident being declared in Somerset.
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service (DSFRS) has resources deployed in the Galhampton, North Cadbury and South Cadbury areas following heavy rain on Tuesday.
Some homes had to be evacuated due to mudslides and further flooding is possible, the Environment Agency said.
People are being urged not to attempt to drive through flood water.
Some areas saw more than two weeks' worth of rainfall in the space of just a few hours.
Yeovilton in Somerset recorded 35.8mm of rain on Tuesday, compared to the county's usual monthly average for May of 62.5mm.
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It was a similar picture in other parts of England, with "torrential" rain in Devon causing treacherous driving conditions and damage to homes and businesses.
Hertfordshire, Northamptonshire and Essex also saw heavy rain, resulting in blocked roads and delays to rail services.
A spokesman for the Environment Agency said its teams were on the ground checking flood gates and clearing trash screens covering drains and waterways.
"Showers have been forecast for the next two days but as a precaution we urge residents to sign up for flood warnings and continue to monitor the weather reports," the spokesman said.
"There has also been widespread disruption to roads and travel across the area so please check the road situation before setting off on a journey," they added.
A flood warning is in force for the River Brue and Glastonbury Millstream between Lovington and Highbridge, with low-lying properties at risk.
But while showers are expected and flood warnings remain in place, all weather warnings for heavy rain have been lifted.
James Farmer
Many factors contribute to flooding, but a warming atmosphere caused by climate change makes extreme rainfall more likely.
The Earth has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began - and temperatures are set to keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.
The village hall in North Cadbury was opened to residents affected on Tuesday night, and about 18 households are thought to have been forced to evacuate.
Commuters described the roads through the villages of Podimore and Queen Camel as "impassable".
Rosemary, who has lived in Queen Camel for 75 years, said she had just 20 minutes between receiving a flood warning and the water tearing through her house.
She spent the night sheltering upstairs, as the flood water reached halfway up her walls and was powerful enough to rip up the tarmac outside her home.
It took out all of her mains sockets, while one of her neighbours lost between 100 and 200 chickens.
Bernie Peachey's home was left covered in a brown sludge.
She fled her house at 19:30 BST with nothing but "some night stuff", with the water at thigh height.
"I had no time to do anything, as I switched off the plugs the water was already in," she said.
The current was too strong to even close her front door.
Camelicious, a cafe in Queen Camel, was among the businesses which were flooded.
The cafe, which opened in January, is run by special educational needs charity Able2Achieve.
Area manager Caroline Parker told BBC West: "It's devastation, there's furniture and all the belongings everywhere - the walls are totally soaked, furniture's turned up, stock's been lost.
"Every business is quite sensitive at the moment, what with the rising costs. Being a charity as well, I'm sure it will devastate us."
Ms Parker said the community has been "fantastic" and asked people to give staff moral support during the clean-up effort.
In Worcestershire, a primary school had to be evacuated after it was hit by lightning.
Pupils at Wilden All Saints School in Stourport-on-Severn were taken to a nearby village hall after the strike just after 13:45 BST on Tuesday.
In Devon, the River Otter burst its banks. Hilary Penfold, of the village Newton Poppleford which sits to the west of the river, said a 6ft (1.8m) high concrete wall and a brick outbuilding were demolished by water running off fields.
The torrent was powerful enough to jam her car against a wall.
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Somerset Council said: "Following last night's flooding the A359 at Queen Camel remains impassable. Also reports that Ilchester Road between Charlton Adam and Podimore is closed.
"Roads around North Cadbury also affected. Drive safely - do not try to cross flood water."
DSFRS is using the village hall in North Cadbury as a base for some of its vehicles.
The service said: "A major incident has been declared regarding flooding in the Galhampton, North Cadbury, and South Cadbury Areas.
"Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue have several resources deployed to the area to deal with the situation.
"Please avoid driving through floodwater. If you come into contact with floodwater, please take necessary steps to decontaminate yourself and clothing appropriately."
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It told people who found themselves in trouble due to floodwater to call 999.
Somerset councillor for Milverton, Gwil Wren, said blocked drainage caused houses and roads to flood in the thunderstorm.
He said the water had reached 18-inches deep at the height of the flooding.
"We tried to keep the drains clear but I'm afraid around 15 houses have been fairly seriously flooded. Garden walls have been knocked over."
How have you been affected by the flooding? Share your experiences and pictures by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
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A tranche of documents have been filed to the court in support of the claims.
The documents show Chelsy Davy, the former girlfriend of the Duke of Sussex, decided that “a royal life was not for her” as a result of alleged unlawful information gathering by journalists at the Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN).
In court documents, Sherborne said these activities, including the alleged unauthorised accessing of his voicemails, caused the duke “huge distress” and created “a huge amount of paranoia in my relationships”.
Referencing Harry’s witness statement in the case, Sherborne said: “He became immediately suspicious of anyone named in stories about him and felt that he could not trust anybody, even at such a young age. It also caused great challenges in his relationship with his ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy, and made him fear for his and her safety.
“Every time he was in a relationship, or even a rumoured relationship, that whole person’s family, and often their friends, would be ‘dragged into the chaos’ and find themselves the subject of unlawful activity on the part of MGN.
“There was nowhere that was ‘off limits’ for MGN’s newspapers, whose journalists would even manage to book into a hotel in Bazaruto, a small island off the coast of Mozambique, when the Duke of Sussex and Ms Davy tried to escape there and enjoy some peace and quiet.
“They were never on their own, which ‘placed a huge amount of unnecessary stress and strain’ on their relationship.
“Ultimately, MGN’s activities led Ms Davy to make the decision that ‘a royal life was not for her’, which was ‘incredibly upsetting’ for the Duke of Sussex at the time. They also caused their circle of friends to become smaller and smaller, meaning that friendships were lost entirely unnecessarily, and led to ‘huge bouts of depression and paranoia’.”
The opening day of litigation brought by Prince Harry and others against the Mirror Group Newspapers alleging unlawful information gathering such as phone hacking has come to a close.
Here are the main takeaways from the day’s revelatory events:
Piers Morgan was aware of the use of unlawful information gathering (UIG) such as phone hacking and ‘blagging’ when he was editor of the Mirror, the court was told. Morgan has previously denied any knowledge of phone hacking taking place on his watch.
A tranche of documents released to the court contain examples that the claimants say show Morgan “must have known” about illegal behaviour at the Mirror when he was editor between 1995 and 2004.
In one alleged incident, Morgan asked a journalist to name the source of a celebrity story and was told “the information had come from voicemails”.
In another, a witness describes how Morgan was “laughing mockingly” as he entertained the Daily Mirror newsroom by repeatedly playing staff a private voicemail left by Paul McCartney for his then girlfriend, Heather Mills.
In another, a witness claims Morgan knew the default pin codes that could be used to illegally access voicemails on different mobile phone networks.
Prince Harry was subject to “appalling” methods of obtaining information about his private life, the claimants’ barrister David Sherborne said.
Morgan has so far not engaged directly with allegations he knew his journalists were using phone hacking and other illegal methods, instead he tweeted an image from animated satire South Park and told an ITV journalist Prince Harry should be the one apologising for invading the privacy of his own family.
Coronation Street actors Michael Turner, aka Michael Le Vell, and Nikki Sanderson, and the ex-wife of Paul Whitehouse, Fiona Wightman, make up the other three claimants in the case.
Unlawful information gathering was both habitual and widespread across all three of the MGN titles from 1991 to 2011, Sherborne said, adding the group was a flood of illegality.
The Mirror Group Newspaperscontinued to use private investigators even though they had been previously convicted for illegally obtaining private information, Sherborne says.
Court documents show Chelsy Davy, the former girlfriend of the Duke of Sussex, decided that “a royal life was not for her” as a result of alleged unlawful information gathering.
MGN admitted there is “some evidence” of unlawful information gathering (UIG) that “warrants compensation”. In court documents, the group said it “unreservedly apologises” for instances of unlawful information gathering, which the publisher said “will never be repeated”.
Thanks for following the coverage today.
The hearing has concluded for the day and will resume tomorrow.
Piers Morgan has been doorstepped by ITV News about the allegations in today’s High Court hearing.
He told journalists:
All I’m going to say is I’m not going to take lectures on privacy invasion from Prince Harry, somebody who has spent the last three years ruthlessly and cynically invading the Royal family’s privacy for vast commercial gain and told a pack of lies about them.
So I suggest he gets out of court and apologises to his family for the disgraceful invasion of privacy that he’s been perpetrating.
Asked again if he would apologise to the victims of phone hacking, Morgan said:
Prince Harry should be apologising for his disgraceful invasion of privacy of the royal family and others.
Sherborne has alleged that phone hacking was so widespread at the Sunday Mirror that even the editor was doing it.
He claims that email traffic to Tina Weaver, who edited the Sunday tabloid for more than a decade between 2001 and 2012, shows she was aware of phone hacking.
He concludes the only reasonable inference is this was so Weaver “could conduct some hacking activities herself”.
Coronation Street actor Michael Turner was accused by fellow cast members of being “a mole” amid alleged phone hacking by journalists, the High Court has been told.
Lawyers for the actor, known professionally as Michael Le Vell, said between 1991 and 2011 he was of “considerable interest” to Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) due to his career and his 2011 arrest for suspected rape, for which he was later found not guilty.
Turner was also an actors’ informal “union rep”, which meant he was “privy to private information about his Coronation Street co-stars”, his legal team said in a court document.
The actor, who is joining the Duke of Sussex in bringing damages claims against the publisher over alleged unlawful information gathering, claims it is “likely” voicemail messages he left on an associate’s phone were “unlawfully accessed and listened to by MGN journalists”.
Sherborne said in the court document that the actor had set out the “enormous” and “long-lasting” impact of these alleged activities “explaining that Coronation Street cast members accused him of being a mole due to his position as union rep, which he was ‘absolutely devastated’ by”.
“He also became extremely paranoid and blamed people close to him for stories which were public, even abandoning his local pub as a result,” the lawyer said.
“He is ‘shocked and horrified’ by MGN’s targeting of him for over 15 years.”
MGN denies Turner’s claims, arguing there is no evidence of voicemail interception or unlawful information gathering relating to him.
Sherborne is telling the court about the illegal activities of the private investigating firms hired by the Mirror Group Newspapers – a group he calls “the hackers and the blaggers”.
He says the firms intercepted voicemails on mobiles and landlines, placed tracking devices and other forms of surveillance, obtained information such as ex-directory landline numbers, PIN numbers, itemised billing records and unlawful use of credit checks.
The information they provided was then used by the journalists, Sherborne says.
Piers Morgan has responded to claims oversaw illegal behaviour while editor of the Daily Mirror by tweeting an image from an episode of South Park.
The talkTV presenter did not engage directly with allegations he knew his journalists were using phone hacking and other illegal methods to obtain information while editor of the Mirror.
The high court heard allegations on Wednesday that Morgan was part of a culture at Mirror Group Newspapers during the 1990s and 2000s that illegally targeted hundreds of individuals - including Prince Harry.
In one incident, Morgan is alleged to have played a voicemail left by Paul McCartney in the middle of the Mirror’s newsroom. In another, he is alleged to have been told that the basis of a news story came from voicemails.
Rather than respond directly to the allegations he was aware of illegal behaviour, Morgan posted a screengrab from the satirical cartoon which mocked Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex for demanding privacy while also promoting their own books and TV series.
Ex-Coronation Street actor Nikki Sanderson felt like she was “public property” and experienced abuse in the street following “false insinuations” in articles published by Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), the High Court has been told.
In court documents, the actor’s lawyers claimed she experienced “unusual telephone and media-related activity” which was consistent with the “unauthorised accessing of her voicemails and other unlawful information gathering”, with private information appearing in newspapers with “no legitimate explanation” as to how.
Sherborne said she said it was “‘scary’ feeling like she was always being watched, and ‘upsetting’ that MGN’s conduct caused the lines between her public and private life to blur, making her believe that she was ‘public property’.”
“The impact of the stories on Nikki Sanderson was aggravated by their false insinuations that she was promiscuous, causing her great upset and giving rise to her being subjected to mental and physical abuse, having people shout at her in the street calling her a ‘whore’, ‘slag’ or ‘slut’ and even being physically assaulted on numerous occasions,” Sherborne said.
“It gave rise to her feeling in a constant state of paranoia, distrusting everyone around her.”
In its trial defence, the publisher say Sanderson’s claim is brought too late, but “unreservedly apologises” over four payments made to private investigators which it admits are evidence of instructions to unlawfully obtain her private information.
The publisher also claims that evidence does not suggest Sanderson’s phone was successfully hacked.
The court is taking a short break.
The court has seen new evidence linking Piers Morgan to phone hacking at the Mirror.
Fresh evidence filed to the court includes a claim from the journalist Omid Scobie, who claims he heard Morgan discussing the use of voicemails while doing work experience on the Mirror’s entertainment desk in 2002:
He recalls during one of those days in the office the editor, Piers Morgan, came over to talk to someone about a story relating to Kylie Minogue and her boyfriend James Gooding. Mr Morgan asked how confident they were in the reporting, and was told that the information had come from voicemails.
Former Downing Street official Benjamin Wegg-Prosser recalled asking Morgan how the Daily Mirror had obtained a story about an affair between the England football manager Sven-Göran Eriksson and the television presenter Ulrika Jonsson:
Mr Morgan asked Mr Prosser which network provider he used for his mobile phone and then told him the default pin for that network, and then explained that the default pin numbers were well known and rarely changed, which is how mobile phone messages could be accessed remotely. He then said, with a smile, that the story on Mr Eriksson and Ms Jonsson was obtained through that method.
Former Mirror political editor David Seymour recalled an incident in which Morgan obtained a voicemail left by Paul McCartney, in which the singer sang a Beatles song to his then-girlfriend Heather Mills as part of an attempt to patch up their relationship.
According to the legal filings:
Mr Seymour recalls that he was walking through the newsroom one day, likely in March 2001, and Mr Morgan was standing in the middle with a group of reporters around him holding a tape machine, and played the message to all present a number of times, laughing mockingly. Mr Seymour recalls that the Beatles song played by Mr McCartney was actually And I Love Her.
Morgan has always denied any knowledge or involvement in phone hacking.
