Sadie Frost may have misled the High Court over when she became aware of claims she was a victim of phone hacking. The actress previously stated in a signed witness statement that she only discovered the alleged hacking in 2019. However, an email revealed on Thursday suggests she may have tried to involve supermodel Kate Moss in the legal claim as far back as 2016, more than six years before she and Prince Harry launched their case against the publishers of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday for breach of privacy.
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The email, sent by Dr Evan Harris, a former director of the campaign group Hacked Off, to Frost on 25 April 2016, references a plan to approach Moss’s assistant regarding suspicions about the Mail on Sunday. Frost replied confirming the actions were acceptable. The email appears to contradict her earlier statement to the court, which could have implications under the law limiting claims to within six years of awareness of the alleged wrongdoing.
Earlier versions of the email had been disclosed in a “corrupted” form, with missing paragraphs that obscured the suggestion that Frost contact Moss. The full version was released as part of proceedings ahead of a trial due to begin in January and run for nine weeks. Lawyers for Associated Newspapers described the existence of two versions of the email as “very troubling”, while Frost’s legal team insisted the first email was corrupted, explaining the discrepancies.
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The case has faced further complications following claims by private investigator Gavin Burrows that a witness statement attributed to him was forged. Prince Harry’s legal team has been given until 10 December to respond. Mr Justice Nicklin questioned why it is taking so long to address the challenge, highlighting concerns over the authenticity of key evidence and the ongoing complexity of the case.
