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A private investigator, initially a crucial witness in a privacy lawsuit involving several claimants against the Daily Mail’s publisher—including Prince Harry—has rejected accusations that he changed his testimony out of spite. Gavin Burrows, whose August 2021 witness statement claimed he engaged in voicemail hacking, landline tapping, and illicit access to financial and medical records for a Mail on Sunday journalist, insisted in a High Court hearing on Monday that the statement was fabricated. He said he only became aware of it more than a year later through a newspaper report.
Burrows previously withdrew the contentious statement, which also purportedly described the group suing the publisher as “a small handful of my targets.” Among the prominent figures joining Prince Harry in the claims against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) are Sir Elton John, and actresses Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost. The claimants accuse ANL of serious privacy violations spanning two decades, charges that the publisher categorically denies.
During the hearing, David Sherborne, representing the claimants, cross-examined Burrows, having received permission from the judge to treat him as a hostile witness. Sherborne suggested that Burrows’s reversal on the statement was motivated by a falling out with investigative journalist Graham Johnson, who supported Prince Harry’s legal team. Burrows refuted this, responding, “It was not a case of switching sides.” When later questioned by Antony White KC, acting for the publisher, whether his evidence was driven by revenge, Burrows replied, “I am not a person for carrying around grudges.”
Burrows expressed frustration over being pressed about the disputed statement, stating, “I did not make a statement in August… so what’s the point of me looking at it?” and adding, “We have proven this statement is a fake.” The judge acknowledged Burrows’s strong emotions but reminded him to answer Sherborne’s questions. Burrows revealed he contacted ANL upon first reading about the statement in 2023, denying its authenticity and expressing concern that claimant Baroness Doreen Lawrence, whose son was tragically killed in a racist attack, was being misled. He said, “I thought I was doing the baroness a favour… I didn’t know at that time she was part of the whole script.”
Regarding other claimants, Burrows stated that he was unfamiliar with Elizabeth Hurley and showed little interest, remarking, “I don’t care about celebrity people.” When asked about work related to Sadie Frost and her former husband Jude Law, he admitted not knowing Frost prior to the claim and said about Law, “I’m not one for watching films… I can’t even recall a film I’ve seen him in and I will swear on the Bible on that.” Speaking via video link from an undisclosed location, Burrows denied media reports that he was “on the run,” asserting he was working for “British interests” but could not disclose his whereabouts. He maintained he never worked for ANL, never tapped landlines, and never engaged in unlawful information gathering on their behalf. The case is expected to hear closing submissions later this month, with the trial concluding soon thereafter
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