Walliams accepts phone-hack payout

UK actor and comedian David Williams has settled his News of the World phone-hacking damages claim. Source: AAP

BRITISH actor and comedian David Walliams has settled his phone-hacking damages claim.

WALLIAMS, who is best known for the sketch show Little Britain, accepted substantial undisclosed damages and his legal costs from News Group Newspapers (NGN), publishers of the now-defunct News of the World.
He was not at London's High Court for Thursday's brief hearing before Justice Mann. His solicitor, Jenny Afia, told the judge that, although he was very well known because of his work, Walliams strove to live a private life in the public eye and had previously taken steps to safeguard his privacy. Since 2005, a number of articles about him were published in the Sunday tabloid and he couldn't understand how journalists were obtaining his private information. "The process understandably caused him to distrust people, including friends and girlfriends, creating a sense of paranoia and worry." Walliams was approached by the Metropolitan Police in March 2013 about information they had obtained about him, including call data evidence from 2005 and an entry in the Palm Pilot of journalist Dan Evans containing the actor's contact details. Walliams was also told Evans had admitted that he had intercepted his voicemail as well as voicemails he had left for another person, his lawyer said. In January this year, Walliams issued proceedings for misuse of private information, seeking damages and aggravated damages.